The Graham Potter era will commence on Wednesday evening at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea welcome Austrian side RB Salzburg for their second Champions League fixture of the campaign.
Having tamely lost last week in Zagreb in what turned out to be Thomas Tuchel’s last game as manager, Wednesday presents a must win fixture for the Blues, who also have to contend with two fixtures against Italian champions AC Milan in their remaining group games.
Potter will have the luxury of a rested squad given the postponement of all English football last weekend, and Wednesday will be Chelsea’s last fixture until October after their Premier League contest against Liverpool on Sunday was likewise called off.
The New Manager – Graham Potter :
Graham Potter made a name for himself after transforming Brighton and Hove Albion from relegation candidates into one of the most well-drilled and technical sides in the Premier League. Their ability to dominate extended periods of matches against the Premier League’s top 6 has made a trip to the Amex Stadium one of the trickiest games on the season calendar, as Chelsea found out last year.
Potter seldom committed to a single formation during his tenure at Brighton but was frequently commended for his side’s ability to retain possession and fashion neat attacking sequences. He champions a vertical style of play in which players are encouraged to pass the ball to feet at a high temporather than into space, relying on subtle off-ball movements from those around the man in possession.
If you’ve watched Marc Cucurella’s start to his Chelsea career, you’ll notice that the Spaniard often becomes quite static in possession when he receives the ball, immediately looking to find an incisive option into the centre of the pitch rather than attempting to blindly make progress down the wings. Whilst it occasionally slowed play down in Tuchel’s system which emphasised speed and swiftness in transition, players like Cucurella should flourish in Potter’s approach that encourages short passing, overloading the ball side, and creating progressive attacking patterns into the area.
It may take a few weeks if not months for Potter’s ideas to transmit into a very diverse group of Chelsea players, some of whom may struggle to find motivation given Potter’s lack of experience at an elite-level club. However, given the volume of technical and recruitment staff he’s brought into Cobham alongside his appointment, Chelsea may soon find themselves with a progressive and dynamic football structure in place – something that was even lacking in the Abramovich era. These are tentative but undoubtedly exciting times for Blues fans across the world.
Chelsea Team News :
Edouard Mendy and N’Golo Kante remain out for Chelsea in an otherwise fully fit Blues squad.
Calling what formation the new manager will play is never easy – Thomas Tuchel caught everyone by surprise when he lined up with five at the back in his first Chelsea game against Wolves in January 2021 – but Potter has grown a reputation of being very adaptable during his time at Brighton. As such, perhaps expect him to adhere to Chelsea’s strongest and most-coached formation for these group of players, which undoubtedly remains the 3-4-2-1.
Which players may flourish under a new manager is likewise tricky, but the likes of Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount seemed to struggle with their roles towards the end of Tuchel’s reign. Chelsea fans will hope these calibre of young players will be given a new lease of life under Potter so they can showcase their undoubted ability.
Predicted line-up 3-4-2-1:
Kepa; Fofana, Silva, Koulibaly; James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Cucurella; Mount, Pulisic; Sterling
Prediction: 2-2
Woh I like your content, saved to bookmarks! .