It took only half an hour and a couple of substitutions and all that 'Save Claudio' rhetoric in the newspapers was exposed as a sham.
Blame culture needs a scapegoat and Claudio Ranieri offered himself. Not only did his Chelsea team lose 3-1 against Monaco's 10 men, but on the same day a Spanish newspaper published an interview in which the manager spoke of having Roman Abramovich's knife in his back.
It is not unusual, sadly, for the media to salute one minute and savage the next and it is no surprise for fickle fans to stare into their post-match beer and rant scathingly about the manager they championed only a couple of games ago. But it was less forgivable for a number of Ranieri's players to point the finger. When it came to apportioning blame, precious few of the Chelski millionaires were inclined to look in the mirror.
When Claude Makelele looks at himself, what does he see? A player who did everything in his power to make it easier for his team, only for his manager's tinkering and his team-mates' subsequent confusion to let him down? Or a shamed individual who played the critical role in Chelsea's Monte Carlo downfall?
The psychological impact of the unjust red card shown to Makelele's sparring partner, Andreas Zikos, clearly worked in favour of Monaco, whose spirit was redoubled while Chelsea visibly relaxed. Monaco found reserves of character that even their manager, Didier Deschamps, didn't know existed, while Chelsea metaphorically lit cigars, put their feet up and trusted that a comfortable win was coming their way. Talk about letting your guard drop. Those breakaway goals by Fernando Morientes and Shabani Nonda were like taking candy from a baby.
The contrasting tales of Morientes and Makelele encapsulated the stark difference between Monaco and Chelsea. Here were two ex-Real Madrid players who understood better than just about anyone else on the pitch what it means to win a Champions League final.
Back in the summer Morientes wanted to stay and fight for his place at the Bernabéu, but agreed to take a pay cut to join Monaco on loan when it was made clear he was out of the picture. At the same time, Makelele felt he had been underpaid for long enough compared to the prettier galacticos , and engineered a move to Chelsea and a huge pay rise. Morientes joined a team whose unity and musketeer spirit was so infectious he gave everything when this semi-final was going pear-shaped. Makelele's intervention showed that Chelsea still have some way to go before they can all themselves a team rather than a collection of individuals doing what each personally thinks is necessary to turn a football match.
The bleating within the camp was not encouraging. Chelsea need to pull themselves together fast: they might yet finish the season as European Champions and Premiership runners-up. But if they believe their own negative comments about the size of their task, they will finish as European bottlers and Premiership sliders. The degree to which they lift themselves for this afternoon's test at Newcastle will give a good indication of how capable they are of recovering their resolve for Monaco's visit in 10 days' time.
Chelsea need Damien Duff and William Gallas, two of their most important performers, back as quickly as possible. They also need, as Wayne Bridge pointed out, to 'clear our heads' super fast. Now is not the time for blame and self pity.
Of course it is feasible for Chelsea to win the tie. An early goal, and all the pressure reverts to Monaco's young and inexperienced team.
Speaking of whom, nobody in the British media had the grace to notice that Monaco had done something phenomenal. For a club with a tiny squad, very little Champions League experience and a novice manager, to suffer a red card and still muster a 3-1 victory was absolutely inspired. Credit please?
While Chelsea were preparing for their second-half downfall in the away dressing room during the interval at the Stade Louis II, something equally - if not more - important was going on among the home team. While Ranieri was fiddling with his formation, Deschamps challenged his players to the very core.
'He was really, really angry,' said a Monaco insider. 'I think maybe the players hadn't come to terms with the fact they could be playing in a final, and the importance of it. He told them, "We are playing in the semi-final of the Champions League. This is not a friendly game!"' Psychologically, and tactically, Deschamps and his players were spot-on.
The Champions League has made local heroes of Monaco. Makelele, and his elbowing compatriot Marcel Desailly, however, are now cast as French villains. Their reputations have been clobbered to the extent that Desailly's personal website has been inundated with messages calling for him to give up the captain's armband of the national team. Would that was just because he wasn't playing very well?
