Although Thomas Tuchel was seen berating Malang Sarr at points during Wednesday's Carabao Cup clash with Tottenham Hotspur, the German would have been pleased that the 22-year-old had been part of a defence that shut out Spurs over two legs.
A few hours before Chelsea kicked off at Tottenham, reports emerged from Brazil that winger Kenedy would be getting recalled from his loan at Flamengo. Some reacted on social media in bemusement that the forgotten man had been brought back to potentially fill the left wingback spot in place of Ben Chilwell.
But alas, Kenedy was not returning to participate in Tuchel's squad. He would be sent back out on loan after not getting enough minutes with the Brazilian side.
Despite small glimmers of hope during his Chelsea career since singing in 2015, Kenedy has quickly become one of many figures in the club's globe-trotting loan army.
This very well could have been Sarr's path. He signed from Nice in August 2020 on a free transfer. The young French defender was sent on loan for the 2020/21 season to Porto, where he did not set the world alight.
Returning to take part in Chelsea's pre-season preparations under Tuchel, it was fully expected he would be loaned again for this term, with interest in Germany and Italy. However, nothing materialised on deadline day.
In years gone by, Sarr would have become an isolated figure, maybe getting the odd game for the academy or a place on the bench of less important matchday.
However, any suggestion of him becoming a Premier League starter or reclaiming enough trust to start both semi-final legs on route to Wembley would have seemed absurd.
It is hard to imagine either Jose Mourinho or Antonio Conte finding a memorable place in their plans, particularly Mourinho, who has always favoured smaller squads of trusted figures.
Sarr, only valued currently at around £5m by TransferMarkt, was seen as a very low-risk signing for the club to make in 2020 given his age, no fee and potential to grow.
Previous deals of this nature would not see the player touch the first team in any significant way. Instead, they were sent on a series of loans to gain a good reputation before selling for a profit.
But Tuchel is of a different mould and, by necessity and choice, values the depth Chelsea's current squad provides him.
In a football world still dealing with positive COVID tests, Premier League clubs have come to appreciate how quickly plans can shift on the eve of a match.
But you flip back to October when Sarr began his first league game. There was general shock Tuchel had placed faith in a player who had looked shaky in the League Cup third round against Aston Villa the previous month.
Sarr offered the German his only left-sided defensive option to Antonio Rudiger, who had suffered an injury during international duty.
Chelsea's defence did have to come through a late barrage from Brentford, nearly single-handedly halted by the acrobatic heroics of Edouard Mendy.
That start and a clean sheet would have psychologically helped Sarri's confidence moving forward, proof for him and his coach that Sarr could be trusted.
Here again, Tuchel used Sarr in the first leg alongside Rudiger in a back-two and in the second leg as a left-back.
"We did not play wing-backs, but for me, he can play a full back in the position like today," Tuchel said after Wednesday's win.
"He can play centre-back and in the left position of a back three. That's where he is at the moment, he deserves to play."
It is hard to tell whether the defender will become more than a useful rotational figure at Chelsea or blossom into more.
Though it is refreshing to see Tuchel find internal solutions be that from the academy or fringe figures to bolster his options at a time of need.
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