Being said to have lost the dressing room is an accusation that no manager ever wants to face.
As title favourites Chelsea started the campaign in dismal fashion, winning just one of their first five Premier League games, whispers began to surface that manager Jose Mourinho had suffered such a fate.
Despite a number of false dawns, Chelsea’s form has never really picked up since those opening weeks. Saturday’s 1-0 loss at home to newly-promoted Bournemouth was the lowest point yet, leaving the champions 14 points adrift of the top four and their manager under severe pressure.
Given the extraordinary extent of the slump, it would usually be entirely reasonable to assume that the players must have begun to doubt their boss.
While performances have generally been poor this term, though, they have not suggested that Mourinho has lost the backing of a squad who were widely praised for their spirit, commitment and togetherness a few short months ago.
The man himself made the same point before Wednesday's crucial Champions League tie with FC Porto, insisting that a lack of effort was not to blame for their collapse.
“I feel a contradiction between the quality of the work and what happens on the pitch,” Mourinho said in his pre-game press conference. “Look, statistics are statistics, but if you analyse the numbers you can get some good information.
“Match after match, we beat Chelsea records of high intensity work. In the last three matches we beat the records three times. We ran and worked more than ever, and at a certain intensity we’d never done before.”
The inference was that his players had demonstrated their belief in him with their actions on the pitch. While confidence and quality had been lacking, work rate and effort had not.
Chelsea’s 2-0 triumph over Porto supported Mourinho’s claims. The hosts were sharp and alert, intense and aggressive. Diego Costa, not brooding or bristling but hustling and harrying, led the way from the front, flanked by the industry and endeavour of fellow forwards Oscar, Willian and Eden Hazard.
There was energy and zest, verve and vigour, vital signs of life following the lacklustre showing at the weekend. Qualification for next year’s Champions League still looks unlikely, but Chelsea at least ensured they did not exit this term’s edition at the first hurdle.
The question now for Mourinho and his side is what happens next.
Chelsea’s European form has generally been immune to their domestic malaise; while the win over Porto was probably their best overall display of the season, it is no guarantee of a positive performance against Leicester City in the Premier League on Monday.
It is premature, too, to talk of a corner being turned. The same was said after defeats of Arsenal, Aston Villa and Norwich City, only for Chelsea to crash and burn again, sometimes in a matter of days.
What the victory did prove, however, is that Mourinho retains the support of his players. If Chelsea’s stars really had lost faith in their manager’s methods, they had a funny way of showing it on Wednesday night.
It is a remarkable position to be in, but the champions’ season is pretty much a write-off already, at least as far as the two major competitions are concerned.
Chelsea are extremely unlikely to overhaul a 14-point deficit to finish in the top four, and it would take a huge effort to overcome the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid to lift the Champions League trophy in May.
Nevertheless, Roman Abramovich seems determined to break with tradition and back Mourinho in spite of the sustained sticky patch from which Chelsea have yet to fully emerge.
The self-proclaimed “Special One” has not been given up on by the club’s owner just yet. As Chelsea’s display on Wednesday proved, he has not lost the dressing room either.
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