London. The Champions League can be awesome, ruthless, or both.
Dressed up Graham Potter may have wished for a better result on his new home circuit.
The game somewhat followed old patterns (Tuchel) – but there was nothing wrong with Chelsea for anything other than Potter’s team.
How was it noticed that Graham Potter took a big step in his coaching career? on the suit. The choice of clothing may have been related to the mourning period for the late queen, but it symbolizes that the Englishman is now on stage. After all, this was his first Champions League match – both as a coach and as a spectator.
When the starting lineup was released, many assumed Potter had intended to form a four-line, although in this case he meant Cesar Azpilicueta forming a center lock with Thiago Silva. They may not have seen many Brighton matches in recent seasons. Towards the end of the Potter Age, the South Coast Club was primarily described as 3-5-2 or 3-5-1-1, although this did not always correspond to reality. There was more freedom in the system, which is now likely to apply to Chelsea.
The exciting role of the British pound
Triple line of defense, that’s how far Chelsea’s squad went against Salzburg on Wednesday night. However, calling Raheem Sterling or even Reece James two wingers wasn’t quite right, especially as the former swung so high and wide when the ball was in his own half that he disappeared from view.
Personally, I choose to call it ‘the role of Leandro Trossard’, because it reminds me of the forward-leaning Belgian role at Brighton. Having said that, Sterling was a “wingback” under Brendan Rodgers and Pep Guardiola, something Potter was probably aware of.
And one of the scenes explained that Chelsea’s attacking ambitions are better than the others, when central defender Mark Cucurella suddenly interfered on the left flank and received a pass from Sterling. An abundance of options contributed to dominating possession (about 72 percent) but expected goals fell at 0.54 (Salzburg, on the other hand, was incredibly pale, 0.03) and the score was 0-0 in the first half. This was more and more reminiscent of Brighton, including their habit of not getting the ball into the net.
CL can be merciless
But shame on those who give up. Two minutes into the first half, the move that Chelsea repeatedly tried and repeated in the first 45 succeeded. Reece James cut in from the right, all the way to Sterling who can crush an easy goal opportunity but also manages it beautifully. So far everything has been rolling in with Potter, even Mason Mount has played better than he’s been doing all season, and is now in a slightly lower position.
If the young Potter in the Champions League didn’t already know that this tournament could be ruthless, he knows now. Salzburg pulled off a counter-attack, and although Chelsea were outnumbered, Noah Okafor’s movement in the penalty area was so perfect that Azpilicetta didn’t keep up. The Spaniard wasn’t alone in slamming his palm angrily on the grass when 1-1 became a reality, and Jorginho looked even more disgruntled with the missed lead.
Chelsea don’t need more points dropped, but no one will hang Graham Potter next. Time is the thing promised to its owners, despite sporadic cries at the final whistle. The next match won’t take place until October 1, which means several weeks of meditation for the coach. The premiere probably gave him plenty of answers, for example that Raheem Sterling does well in his freestyle on the left. But more is needed to see how Chelsea can maximize their chances for a successful season and in the long term.