You can't help but feel this is a key week for Rafa Benitez at Everton.
Of course, most since he joined the club have been exactly that.
The controversy surrounding the Spaniard's appointment at Goodison Park couldn't be ignored for obvious reasons, and not much has moved to quell that lingering sense of doubt.
Everton managers live by their relationship with the fans.
Perhaps a little more than any other club in the Premier League.
It's not enough to have just a trophy-laden history when you take over on the blue half of Merseyside. An inherent understanding of the club's core values, and a direct plan to deliver on those ideals, is also front and centre.
And, let's be brutally honest at this point, not managing Liverpool to a Champions League triumph in the past would be a help as well.
Benitez was starting on the back foot for many supporters before he'd even been confirmed as Carlo Ancelotti's successor at the end of June.
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While others saw the logic from Farhad Moshiri in bringing an accomplished and experienced head to the club to end a managerial search that nobody in their right mind realistically saw coming, others spotted potential problems right from the start.
Right at the heart of the issue was the relationship with fans.
Roberto Martinez struck the right chord in his first season as manager. He understood what supporters desired, while implementing a clear identity both on and off the pitch to try and achieve that.
Ultimately even that didn't prove to be enough, but might have bought him a bit more time at the end of his tenure thanks to that good will.
Sam Allardyce, on the other hand, started on a similar path to that of Benitez.
He was Moshiri's man, sought despite the cries of discontent from many Everton fans that it wasn't the right decision.
From that point on it was hardly about the results on the pitch. Granted wins would bring a certain amount of good will and would at least have the side comfortably sat in the table, but there was only so far that could eventually go.
His appointment came with a ceiling. With a few weeks left of his tenure towards the end of the 2017/18 campaign, he was already putting his head through it.
Back then, the away fans started chants against their own manager and booed some of his decisions from the touchline - just as they did to Benitez on Sunday.
That felt like a significant moment, following on from Liverpool supporters singing for their former boss as they ran rampant at the recent derby at Goodison.
Many felt there was always a danger matters could turn toxic, and that was threatening to boil over at one stage of the loss to Crystal Palace.
If you're reading this, you may well have seen the videos from the away end that have circulated around social media.
Nobody wants that to be the case at Everton.
The relationship with supporters is a key aspect of a manager's tenure, and right now for Benitez it seems to be at its lowest ebb.
And that's why you can't help but feel this could be a significant week for him, if not an easy one.
Heading to face another former club in Chelsea is first up for the Spaniard. The same Chelsea who are flying high under the leadership of Thomas Tuchel and are backed by many to challenge right down to the wire for the Premier League this season.
Add in the fact that Everton haven't claimed a win at Stamford Bridge since before the turn of the millennium, and you've got a real tall order.
Regardless of that result, there's some absolutely crucial matches over the festive period.
Considering where Everton find themselves in the table especially, a large portion (if not all) of them are must-win games.
Leicester at home, Burnley away, Newcastle at home, Brighton at home.
That's the run which takes Everton through into 2022. That's a much better run than they have experienced in some time.
Usually a manager would need the fans behind him and all the good will necessary to pull the Blues through, but will Benitez have that?
It's a genuine question to ask after the away end on Sunday seemed to turn on their boss. The majority of these fans also attend every match at Goodison, let's not forget.
It was only a couple of weeks ago that Moshiri took to talkSPORT once again, this time putting his full backing behind the manager.
It's no surprise really, the appointment was his choice in the first place. Now, the club's director of football is gone as well, so a change at the helm strikes as potentially more of a risk.
There's a "strategic review" happening right now, with the manager in control of the club's immediate January transfer plans at the very least.
Benitez might not be under serious threat at the minute, but the relationship with fans is something that started on thin ice - and the cracks seemed to finally give way for a lot of the away fans on Sunday.
Never mind the fixtures coming up, rebuilding faith with those supporters is the real tall order that the manager will face right now.
