Maurizio Sarri arrived at Chelsea promising fun and after a season of Antonio Conte's thunderous moods it was a message well received.
Eden Hazard perked up immediately as the campaign opened with an unbeaten run of 18 games in all competitions and there was even a time, albeit brief, when it seemed he might solve the Alvaro Morata puzzle.
There was lots to like about Sarriball and its eccentric creator, lost in his own world of tactical analysis, tobacco and superstition.
Then came the humbling at the hands of Tottenham in November and the impetus has faded, goals have dried up and the arm of Sarri's fun-o-meter swung back from the image of happy Hazard to the glum face of Morata.