Napoli ran roughshod over Liverpool in the first half of Wednesday’s Champions League encounter, tearing the shell-shocked visitors apart and scoring three goals in a frenetic opening stanza en route to a 4-1 win.

Piotr Zielinski – from the penalty spot – and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa got the party started in Naples.

Substitute Giovanni Simeone then capped the wild 45 minutes by tapping the ball into an open net after excellent work from the unimpeachable Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Simeone’s tally sparked jubilant scenes at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

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Napoli added a fourth goal two minutes into the second half before Liverpool pulled one back.

Thomas Tuchel was supported in his role as Chelsea head coach. New co-owner Todd Boehly was considering signing Cristiano Ronaldo until Tuchel reportedly vetoed the deal over concerns about the veteran’s fit into his fluid attack. And then there was the deadline-day arrival of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a 33-year-old striker past his best but with whom Tuchel shares a “close bond.”

That’s what makes the German’s dismissal Wednesday even more perplexing.

Reservations over Tuchel as Chelsea boss started in the summer when Boehly and his business partners observed the fallout from a 4-0 preseason loss to Arsenal in Orlando, according to Tom Roddy of The Times (UK). Tuchel apparently tore into his players, questioning their commitment and professionalism, and he already showed signs of not being overly enthusiastic about working with the club’s new owners. Tuchel had good relationships with departed directors Marina Granovskaia and Petr Cech, key figures of the Roman Abramovich regime, and wasn’t embracing the new era.

Yet, Boehly backed Tuchel. Despite appearing to have little soccer knowledge, Boehly installed himself as interim sporting director in Granovskaia’s place and leaned on Tuchel’s advice in the transfer market. What followed was a whistle-stop tour of Europe that culminated in several failed pursuits but, ultimately, a frenzied few weeks of incoming deals.

Chelsea spent well over £260 million, including bonuses tied into some transfers.

The club was forced into big-money transactions. There needed to be a recruitment drive in defense since Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen left the club when their contracts expired. Signing Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana made sense. But was Marc Cucurella really worth up to £63 million when Ben Chilwell was already first-choice left wing-back and Marcos Alonso (who’s now at Barcelona) was a reasonable backup?

Elsewhere, there seemed to be a clash in Chelsea’s transfer policy. The club spent considerable sums on players for tomorrow – Carney Chukwuemeka, Gabriel Slonina, and Cesare Casadei, among them. They also attempted to negotiate moves for players better suited to three years ago, like Aubameyang and Ronaldo.

Boehly has taken risks before. Despite not being a hands-on owner with Major League Baseball’s L.A. Dodgers, Los Angeles Times columnist Dylan Hernandez recalls Boehly being “bold and upfront” about his ambitions for the franchise. The Guggenheim Group’s 2012 takeover increased spending and franchise values in baseball, and Hernandez compared the owners’ impact on the Dodgers as reminiscent of the Real Madrid “Galacticos” years. The Dodgers won the World Series in 2019.

“He’s really good on the business side,” said Bill Shaikin, Hernandez’s colleague at the Los Angeles Times and a Dodgers beat writer. Shaikin noted Boehly’s vital work to greatly boost the franchise’s media revenue and how the owners oversaw overdue renovations to Dodger Stadium.

However, they’re not the elements that directly influence postseason runs. Much of Boehly’s successes have been behind the scenes. “Most Dodgers fans have no idea who he is,” Shaikin added.

But now, he has his own thing at Stamford Bridge. He’s quickly become one of the most recognizable executives in English football.

“You never know the way people are going to react until they get power like that,” Hernandez said. “This might have just been an opportunity for that part of him to come out.”

The way Boehly has quickly presided over Chelsea’s transfer dealings despite lacking soccer experience is concerning. This is a job for an experienced football director, not someone who was involved in the sport for 23 days when he handed himself that role. And the way Boehly relied on Tuchel during the summer window and then sacked him shortly thereafter indicated there was no clear plan in place for the first three months at Chelsea.

Former Brighton & Hove Albion manager Graham Potter will succeed Tuchel at Chelsea. The Englishman made the Seagulls one of the most versatile teams in European football. However, he’s undoubtedly aware he would’ve been afforded fewer opportunities to showcase his tactical acumen and man-management skills without the clear vision, wise division of labor, and holism at Brighton – its oft-successful recruitment included.

Potter is a coach who thrives at a club with a discernible project. But right now, it’s not clear if Chelsea are anything more than a vanity project for Boehly.

Chelsea have moved quickly to replace Thomas Tuchel, appointing former Brighton & Hove Albion boss Graham Potter as their new head coach, the Premier League club announced.

The Blues have signed Potter to a long-term contract that will keep him in west London until 2027. He will be on the touchline for Saturday’s game against Fulham.

“I am incredibly proud and excited to represent Chelsea FC, this fantastic football club,” Potter said.

“I am very excited to partner with Chelsea’s new ownership group and look forward to meeting and working with the exciting group of players and to develop a team and culture that our amazing fans can be proud of.

“I would also like to place my sincere thanks to Brighton & Hove Albion for allowing me this opportunity and in particular Tony Bloom and all the players, staff, and supporters for their continued support during my time at the club.”

With the English manager’s move to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have apparently agreed to pay the £16-million release clause in Potter’s contract with Brighton.

The two sides struck a deal hours after Tuchel’s dismissal, as co-owner Todd Boehly met with Potter to discuss the proposal Wednesday, according to BBC Sport’s Simon Stone and Alistair Magowan.

“We are thrilled to bring Graham to Chelsea,” Boehly said. “He is a proven coach and an innovator in the Premier League who fits our vision for the club. Not only is he extremely talented on the pitch, he has skills and capabilities that extend beyond the pitch which will make Chelsea a more successful club.”

Chelsea also reportedly held talks with former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino and Sporting Lisbon head coach Ruben Amorim before deciding on Potter.

The struggling Blues sacked Tuchel following their shock loss to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Tuesday. The defeat was the latest blow for a Chelsea side that’s also off to a poor start in the Premier League after winning just three of its opening six games.

Potter, meanwhile, was overseeing an impressive start to the 2022-23 campaign after Brighton opened the season with four wins from six games. The Seagulls sit two places above Chelsea in fourth just months after finishing last season in ninth, their best-ever finish in the top flight.

The 47-year-old boss began his coaching career at Swedish club Ostersunds FK in 2011 and attracted attention after their impressive Europa League campaign in 2017, which included a knockout round win over Arsenal. He moved on to Championship side Swansea City for a season before joining Brighton in 2019.

Potter is known for an attacking and tactically-flexible brand of football that could suit a Chelsea outfit that’s struggled to find the back of the net so far this term.

The sixth-place Blues will look to win their second league game in a row when they visit Fulham on Saturday.