We are just days away from Chelsea's inaugural clash of the 2018/19 season against Huddersfield at the John Smith's Stadium, and still the club seems clouded in a mixture of excitement and uncertainty.
The Blue's pre-season has promoted both those feelings in equal measure, showing simultaneously the potential of Sarriball and the pitfalls - especially while players are still acclimatising.
Despite the struggles against Manchester City in the Community Shield, in which the defence and midfield were given a serious run around, fans should still be galvanised by the prospect of Maurizio Sarri's reign, though patience will be required.
1. Last Season
A strange season from start to finish, I imagine fans are slightly reticent to return yet again to the turmoils of Antonio Conte's final season in charge - that dead horse has definitively been flogged.
However, it is worth reiterating that, despite the domestic travails and eventual Champions League exclusion, the team did at times reach the peaks of 2016/17. The defeat of Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano as well as the home leg against Barcelona were both tactical masterclasses, the latter devastatingly spoiled by one lapse in concentration.
The FA Cup triumph was a fitting exit for the Italian, who deserved one last exultation from his previously adoring fans before his long portended to ride off into the sunset finally materialised. But, as Blues fans have become accustomed to, it is now thank, forgive and forget Antonio and instead look forward to the impending brave new world under Maurizio Sarri.
2. Transfers In
Before Wednesday, Chelsea's sole summer acquisitions had been Jorginho and, er, Rob Green for a combined £57m. But suddenly, all that changed, with the astonishing triggering of Kepa Arrizabalaga's £71m release clause at Athletic Bilbao, alongside the nearly complete loan move for Real Madrid's Mateo Kovacic.
While the dispensing of a world record fee for a 23-year-old keeper who just six months ago was the subject of an initially accepted £18m bid - before it was rejected by Zinedine Zidane - may seem like crazy business, it does have to be put in context.
Sure, it's crazy money for a relatively unproven keeper, but there is a reason he was so close to a move to Real Madrid. More importantly than that though, if at the start of the summer you'd have offered me Kovacic for a year, Kepa signing and Eden Hazard staying in exchange for a head-turned Thibaut Courtois leaving, all for a total fee of around £35m, I'd have bitten your hand off.
Away from that, the club have continuously been linked with various central defenders, with Daniele Rugani the most concrete until he seemingly rejected their advances. On the basis of Sunday's disorder against City, any rearguard reinforcements would be dearly welcome.
3. Transfers Out
Aside from the all too familiar slew of loaned out youngsters - whose label as 'youngster' is getting less and less applicable with each passing year - the only player who has left for good as it stands is Wallace Oliveira. The Brazilian right back has been released, and is currently without a club.
Of those loanees, Mario Pasalic and Mason Mount seem the most noteworthy, with the Croatian moving to highly effective Serie A side Atalanta, and the precocious Englishman cutting his teeth in the Championship under Frank Lampard at Derby.
This is not the biggest news, however. For the majority of the summer, four of Chelsea's key players have been embroiled in transfer sagas. It appears now that only one will actually make good on those rumours, and that's Thibaut Courtois.
The 26-year-old went AWOL from training in Monday morning in order to force through a move to Real Madrid, and the club's subsequent capture of Kepa appears to have confirmed the Belgian's departure. They will be big shoes to fill.
4. Strengths
When on song, and fully attuned to his unique style of play, Maurizio Sarri's sides are blistering in attack, generating zippy, accurate and near unstoppable passages of play. Of course, while the players are still learning his methodology, they may be loose in possession and generally disjointed without it.
But once they have mastered it, there is a potential for the front three of (*crosses fingers, touches wood, prays*) Eden Hazard, Alvaro Morata and Pedro/Willian to run the league ragged.
On a wider note, their general play should be far easier on the eye than it has been before, and they could feasibly become the country's great entertainers, with goals galore and plenty of breathless patches of play.
5. Weaknesses
Naturally, the lack of understanding and experience in their new style will be one of their biggest weak points going into the start of this campaign.
The coach's insistence on the defence and midfield practically moving as one coherent unit has proved seriously effective in the past, but it is a risky business. Asking players to keep to this tight formation, and remain loyal to it throughout 90 minutes is a tough endeavour, as was seen on Sunday.
In conjunction with this, the well documented lack of patience present within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge could deeply harm Sarri's chances of fully implementing his style.
In addition, despite his errors last season, the overall calming presence of Thibaut Courtois could be missed this time out, and the same level of aforementioned patience should be afforded to the incoming youngster between the sticks.
6. Key Man
No, not the world champion on the left, the tongue-out, heart thumping legend on the right.
After a spectacular World Cup for Belgium, Eden Hazard has had a tumultuous summer, with the will he won't he nature of his transfer to Real Madrid generating hundreds of thousands of disparaging words.
But, with only a day and a half left of the English transfer window, and the rumours quelled, fans can start to enjoy the prospect of a presumably financially rewarded Hazard terrorising defences once again in a blue shirt.
More than any of the other six managers he has worked under in west London, Maurizio Sarri's influence on Hazard should be startling - you only have to look at what he did to the goalscoring attributes of Hazard's compatriot Dries Mertens at Napoli.
Potential Breakout: 17-year-old Callum Hudson-Odoi dazzled supporters and defenders alike with his incredible talent over pre-season, and though he was somewhat nullified by Kyle Walker against Manchester City, he was still the Blues most dangerous player on the day. With his presence in the squad for the rest of the season confirmed, he will be a must-watch whenever he graces the pitch.
7. Predictions
With Manchester City still looking head and shoulders above their domestic rivals, it promises to be a strange Premier League season for the rest of the top six as they scrap for the remaining three Champions League places.
It will undoubtedly be a season of transition for Chelsea, and a top four finish proliferated with many a thrilling encounter should be seen as a success. The Europa League will surely be seen as an exhibition for Chelsea's plethora of youth players to stake a claim, and will only be taken seriously if the league campaign starts to derail.
As for the domestic cups, a triumph in either would a be a nice feather in Sarri's cap, particularly as it would make the cries of him being trophy-less defunct.
Either way, a return to the Champions League will be their priority, and should be feasible if Sarriball clicks early enough in the season.