Graham Potter has acknowledged the need for Chelsea to snap out of their frustrating run of form quickly, saying: "long-term doesn't exist in this job".
Potter has come under pressure amid a difficult period for the big-spending Blues, who recorded three successive Premier League draws for the first time since 2012 after Saturday's 1-1 stalemate with West Ham.
Chelsea have won just one of their eight games across all competitions since the turn of the year (D4 L3), and the Champions League now represents their only chance of avoiding a trophyless season.
With a trip to Borussia Dortmund for the first leg of an enticing last-16 tie on the horizon, Potter is aware of the need for things to change at Stamford Bridge.
"You can't talk about the long-term because that doesn't exist in this job," he told reporters.
"You have to acknowledge there's a long-term but there's a short-term and medium-term that is challenging for us in terms of results.
"The experienced players know what we've been through. You're talking about some top professionals who know football.
"While people on the outside may have an opinion on things, these guys have been around and know the challenges we've faced.
"They know the situation the club has been in and what's happened. So then it's about helping them get through it, the inevitable frustration because they want to win. We all do and the supporters do. That's where it's been challenging."
Chelsea's two previous Champions League titles were delivered during campaigns which saw them struggle in the Premier League, and while Potter is excited by the start of the knockout stages, he is taking things game by game.
"In a knockout competition, anything can happen, that's the thing," he said. "It's two games. I don't think it's valuable for us to look past Dortmund.
"We have the capability to beat Dortmund but they are also a strong side with the capability to get a result as well. We have to understand that, go to Dortmund with humility, with respect, and try to get the result.
"[This squad] has won the Champions League. They've experienced it. They'll want to fight for the game, that's for sure, and that's exciting for us."
Despite Chelsea's domestic struggles, Potter is unbeaten in his five Champions League games at the helm, winning the last four.
Victory in Dortmund on Wednesday would therefore make Potter the first English coach to win five successive matches in the competition.
Alcaraz's pursuit for third straight Madrid Open crown continues
Carlos Alcaraz boosted his hopes of a third straight Madrid Open title as he comfortably beat Thiago Seyboth Wild to reach the fourth round on Sunday.
Back in his home country of Spain, Alcaraz eased to a 6-3 6-3 triumph to set up a fourth-round clash with Jan-Lennard Struff, whom he beat in last year's final.
The first six games of the opening set went to serve, but Alcaraz found a crucial break in the seventh and ninth games of the set to put him in pole position for victory, a lead he would not relinquish as he overcame being broken in the seventh game of the second set to seal his safe progression.
Holger Rune was a surprise casualty as the world number 12 was defeated 6-4 4-6 6-3 by Tallon Griekspoor, though world number eight Andrey Rublev eased through with a straight-sets win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Data Debrief
With his triumph over Seyboth Wild at the Madrid Open, Alcaraz has now won 93.3 per cent of his games at the tournament. That is the highest win percentage of any player with at least 10 games played in a single ATP-1000 event since the format was introduced in 1990.
Against Seyboth Wild, Alcaraz won 27 of his 31 first-serve points, also recording 19 winners to his opponent's 10 as he dominated the contest on his way to victory.
Napoli 2-2 Roma: Late Abraham header denies wasteful hosts
A wasteful Napoli were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Roma in Serie A, with a late Tammy Abraham header securing a point for the visitors.
The visitors took the lead from the penalty spot a minute before the hour mark, with Paulo Dybala converting after Juan Jesus fouled Sardar Amzoun.
However, Napoli equalised six minutes later through Matias Olivera's deflected shot, and completed the turnaround with their own penalty six minutes from time as Victor Osimhen tucked away after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was felled by Renato Sanches.
The hosts could not hold on, though, and were pegged back with two minutes to go. Substitute Abraham's header from a corner was eventually awarded following a VAR review after he had initially been ruled offside.
Data debrief
Napoli remain eighth in the Serie A table on 50 points, the exact amount they had registered after their opening 19 games of last season.
Though his penalty was not enough to earn Roma victory, Dybala continued his impressive start to 2024, during which he has been involved in the joint-most goals in Serie A with 12 (nine goals, three assists).
Lyon are through to their 11th Women's Champions League final after sealing a 5-3 aggregate victory over compatriots Paris Saint-Germain.
The record eight-time winners scored three times in the final 10 minutes of last week's first leg to take a narrow 3-2 lead into the return fixture at Parc des Princes.
However, they were quicker out of the blocks in the second leg, with just three minutes on the clock when Selma Bacha drilled home from range for her first Champions League strike in five-and-a-half years.
Tabitha Chawinga responded before the break to reduce PSG's aggregate deficit to a single goal, but Melchie Dumornay put the tie beyond doubt nine minutes from time, as Sonia Bompastor's side set up a final showdown with Barcelona on May 25.
Data debrief
Lyon continued their dominance over PSG in Champions League semi-final encounters, having now progressed from each of their last four such ties.
The eight-time champions lost their first two semi-finals they contested in this competition, but have now won each of the last 10, and will seek a record-extending ninth title in Bilbao next month.
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