…which means that’s us done for the night. Thanks for your company and all your comments – sorry I couldn’t use them all. Blame the players, who served us a fine night of Champions League FootballTM. Ta-ra!
Aha, Jacob Steinberg’s match report is here…
Some reading:
I enjoyed the arse out of that game, from minute one like Paris v Bayern was in the last 15. Yes, Chelsea lost, but it’s no kind of reach to think they’ll be a proper side in the not-too-distant future. They’re not yet able to dominate games against quality opposition, and they still struggle to score, but you can see a direction of travel. Dortmund, meanwhile, defended the box pretty well but were susceptible on the counter and missed Moukoko. Their problem is that Bellingham looks unlikely to stay another year, and he’ll take some replacing.
FULL-TIME: Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Chelsea
That was a terrific game, and the second leg should be just as intense, if not more so. Phew!
90+5 min No matter, here come Chelsea again, Fernandez picking up possession on the edge and curling goalwards … but he puts just too much swazz on it, so when it comes too far back in, Kobel shoves away.
90+4 min Cucurella’s cross is blocked by Ryurson but Chelsea retrieve possession and Felix plays him back in … but this time he overhits and Brandt plays back to Kobel.
90+2 min “As a neutral (Liverpool fan if you must),” says Colum Fordham, “I am enjoying Emre Can’s performance this evening, always in the right place at the right time. To be frank, I wish he was still playing for the Reds. Have Chelsea spent vast sums wisely, one might ask?”
I think they’ve bought some good players, yeah, but they need a centre-forward and presumably couldn’t get one they wanted mid-season. It may well be that they’re the only team prepared to pay what Napoli will demand for Victor Osimhen.
90+1 min We’ll have five added minutes.
90 min EVERYTHING that NO ONE wants to see! Ryerson sticks one on Mount, runs away with Mount and some of the Chelsea bench pursuing him, someone chucks the ball at Sule … and there’s a brief scuffle involving both benches, before Sule and Mount are booked. Goodness me, imagine a square-go between those two. Oh, and Ryerson is also carded – that’s 10 in total – so he’ll miss the second leg.
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88 min “Apparently his second audible output was: ‘Until now, everything was satisfactory’,” laughs John Deering of Wittgenstein.
86 min Ziyech fancies this, but whips his shot a foot or two wide of the near post.
85 min Mount sneaks through the middle and has shot blocked by Schlotterbeck, who’s been gigantic tonight, then when the ball ricochets to Ziyech, his thumped effort is blocked by Guerreiro. Excellent de-fence from both, but then Ozcan shoves Felix over – he’s booked – and Chelsea have another free-kick, 25 yards out, further right of centre this time…
82 min Dortmund have done a good job closing down Felix’s space in the second half, but as I type that, here he is, James sliding across the box and Fernandez sliding into the box; his shot is saved easily enough.
82 min Ryerson escapes down the right and swings over a cross towards Modeste. But the ball loops off the turf, which allows James to get back at his man, and with help from Silva, he clears. Then Chelsea counter, of course they do, and Schlotterbeck slides in to unload Havertz without giving away a penalty, just about.
80 min But what is a gittens, and why would I want to buy one?
79 min Dortmund send Bynoe- Gittens on for Adeyemi.
78 min …and Kobel will punch it away. He’s looked pretty secure tonight … but as I type that, there he is again, Ziyech weaving infield, pulling back, and Koulibaly, alone in the box, has time! He takes a touch, flings all of himself into a low shot, and Kobel dives to parry … but he went early and the ball’s rolling towards the goal … except here comes Can, sliding in to clear from under the bar! I thought that was in even at the moment of impact, but there’s no signal so that is stupendous defending from the old man!
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77 min Adeyemi gets his own back, yanking down Ziyech on the right. Ziyech will curl in the free-kick…
75 min “Well, if you’re looking at musical prodigies,” emails Geoff Wignall, “Stevland Morris secured his first Motown contract by auditioning some of his own material. He was 11 years old. Oh, and of course they renamed him Little Stevie Wonder. And in sport how about a shout for Andy Farrell being not just Wigan but also GB rugby league captain by the age of 21? On the other hand, apparently Einstein didn’t speak until he was three, making him an early starter compared with Wittgenstein whose alleged first words at the age of four, in translation, were, ‘This soup has too much salt’.”
Stevie is one of the great musical geniuses – in my lifetime, Prince and McCartney are the only two who come close, I think. And tangentially, Ray Monk’s Wittgenstein biography is excellent.
74 min City have beaten Arsenal 3-1 and now lead the league on goal difference, but have played a game more. Join Scott Murray for all the reaction.
73 min Dortmund send on Ryerson for Wolf.
72 min Chelsea send on Cucurella and Mount for Chilwell and Mudryk, then win a corner and Ziyech, leaping with Adeyemi, splatters the goalscorer and is booked.
71 min “Julian Brandt has been one of those ‘almost there’ players for years,” says Justin Madson. “This year, he seems to have made that extra step - he’s looked full of class today and this season. What’s the difference you ask? Due to a skin condition, he’s gone fully gluten-free and histamine-free in his diet over the past year. Not only did it resolve his skin issues, it’s allowed him to trim down and get that extra half-step that enhances his game so much. The lives of footballers continue to fascinate.”
Yup, sport is an art but science is part of it.
70 min Oh, and on away goals, this game shows they’re not necessary to incite teams into aggression. Some play that way, some don’t.
69 min Chelsea need not panic, because now away goals are gone, 1-0 away isn’t the terrible result it once was. But they can’t be conceding again, especially given how difficult they find it to score.
68 min Dortmund send on Modeste for Haller.
65 min I should say, well played ref for not blowing up for offside.
64 min So it was option b). Chelsea haven’t created chances as good as in the first half, and have been punished for missing them.
GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Chelsea (Adeyemi 62)
Yes I know you’re thinking what are you talking about, Chelsea have a corner, I’m thinking it too, but when the ball comes in, Felix tries to head across into the far corner, the flag goes up, and Ozcan hooks away … and Adeyemi collects! He’s running at Fernandez, who does his best to jockey, but as soon as Adeyewi makes his move, nipping outside, he’s away! And as Kepa comes out, Adeyemi rounds him – we don’t see that often these days, which is a shame – and slots home! Brilliantly taken and a brilliant buzz of a passage!
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62 min Nice from felix, who slips a reverse-pass down the side for Mudryk, whose first cross is blocked. But he goes again, the ball bobbles about, and when Ziyech knocks back, Kobel has to tip James’ shot into the ground over the top.
60 min Mudryk has space to run at Can and he fancies himself, but he picks the wrong line, taking ball too close to man, and is robbed. Still, though, Chilwell wins his team a corner off Wolf … and Kobel punches clear, then the ball drops to the edge, both Mudryk and Fernandez fancy it … and the latter shanks wide.
59 min By the way, City now lead 3-1 at Arsenal; can you guess who scored? A clue: it was for the 32nd time this season.
57 min Again, Dortmund counter, Adeyemi cutting back for Brandt, whose low shot is saved, then Chelsea race down the other end and Fernandez’s shot is saved. I wonder if he’s been ordered to get forward, because we’re seeing much more of him this half.
56 min Dortmund get the free-kick away, then James fouls someone, I missed who, and Bellingham keeps it moving before the ref can think about sending his mate off. The commentators characterise it as sportsmanship, but really it’s confidence: he doesn’t care who the other team have, because he’s certain he’s better than all of them.
55 min … and it James who hits it, curling over the wall, just a little too deliberately and not near enough the corner, so Kobel is able to dive and shove away from inside his near post. But Chelsea maintain pressure, Can shoving Chilwell over down the left, and if he’s not been booked he gets booked for that. I’m glad he’s not been sent off, but he’s very lucky, and perhaps we need a halfway house between yellow and red.
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54 min James breaks forward, the perfect combination of power and grace, so Can boots him as you’d have to. He’s booked, and Chelsea have a free-kick 25 yards out, just right of centre; James and Ziyech are behind it…
52 min “Paul McCartney PAH!!” snipes Lloyd Mills. “George Harrison was 17 when he and his band mates shared a room on the naughtiest street in Hamburg. They gave him a round of applause when he finally lost his virginity.”
Didn’t that happen to you?
51 min Bit of Chelsea pressure, Fernandez flicking the ball behind his own standing leg to make room for a shot … which he absolutely crunches, but Bellingham’s there to block. The visitors have started the half well and are, as we discussed earlier, starting to look like a team.
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49 min Bellingham slides after the ball and past Chilwell, who goes down howling. I didn’t see any contact and Belligham was not at all pleased, but the ref brandishes a yellow at the number 22, its recipient refusing to give it face.
48 min On Dortmund, they’ve struggled to find space when attacking because Chelsea re packing the box and defending deep, so they might want to chuck another striker on so they’ve a bit more presence when the ball’s mixahd.
47 min Meantime, Mudryk slides a fine reverse-pass into the box for Chilwell, who’s tackled at cost of a corner; Dortmund get it away immediately and get themselves up the pitch.
46 min What I’ve seen of Felix so far, I’m sure Chelsea will want to keep him – and if they do, that spells trouble for Mount. Oh, and I’ve just learnt that James was booked in the first half, so that’s half of Chelsea’s back four who need to be careful.
46 min We go again…
At Arsenal, Jack Grealish has put City in front again – with the help of a deflection from Gabriel.
In Dortmund, our players are back with us.
“Black Francis wrote Here Comes Your Man when he was 14,” reminds Madge Stapleton.
Half-time email: “I’m following the blog in class at law school,” emails Max Goldstein. “I see on my Google Chrome tab that I have a new update. A Chelsea goal? Koulibaly sent off? Manager spat? Nope, it’s an update about George Michael’s A Different Corner. The best live blog around.”
As a law-school survivor, I can’t say this doesn’t give me joy, likewise the deployment of devices – which didn’t exist in my time – to alleviate the unbearable experience of enduring it. Still, at least practice is fun!
There’s another rumpus going on, remember, which, from the sounds of things, looks as compelling as our game.
Half-time: Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Chelsea
Thus endeth one of the quickest halves (of football) we’ll see this season. Chelsea should be in front, but they’re not.
44 min Has anyone noticed the similarity between Julian Brandt and Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Brandt?
43 min Wolf frees Brandt down the right and sees Chilwell coming, dipping inside as the big slide arrives and, while yerman treats himself to a curryweust on the way back, Brandt cuts back for Wolf, who sweeps hard … and just wide of the far post.
42 min Felix swings a decent ball in too, but Havertz doesn’t attack it with conviction, allowing Schlotterbeck, who does, to head away.
40 min “What about Mamadou Sakho, later of Liverpool and Crystal Palace?” emails Simon Gill. “He captained PSG aged 17 years and 8 months!”
That one I did not know, so much so that for reasons best known to I don’t know who, like Yoda I’ve started speaking. Meantime, Mudryk wins Chelsea a corner…
38 min Felix frees Havertz, in space down the right, with a lovely flicked pass, and he takes a touch, has a look, then squares a return-pass into the box … then Felix loses Wolf easily, taking him in front of goal, almost dead centre! And as Kobel dives low, he lifts high … only to put too much on it, ball slamming bar full in its face and bouncing away! On the one hand: you can’t be missing those and expect not to be punished; on the other: Chelsea have made two terrific chances here, and there’s no reason not to expect more of the same.
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37 min Dortmund counter, Brandt spreading to Adeyemi, who nudges inside for Bellingham, now inside the box. But Silva defends him really well and he can’t find a route anywhere good, eventually crowded out … and now here come Chelsea. Phew!
35 min “George Michael was 16 when he wrote A Different Corner,” says Gillian Kirby. “SIXTEEN. Though that’s nothing on Paul McCartney giving himself until he was 20 to get a record deal or to give up on doing that old music thing forever, and managing it with two days to go before the end of his teens. Way to make us all feel washed up, Macca.”
Did anyone see his thing with Rick Rubin? I loved that, it was pitched at the right level of technical sophistication so that i had to really think hard to get everything, but what I really loved was Macca’s phenomenal recall and the beautiful way he talks in music. If you’ve not seen it, look it up – and yes, he’s the greatest Beatle, by far.
33 min Now Dortmund win a corner and it’s snapped back to Adeyemi on the edge, who tries a similar finish to Felix, with similar results – though, to be fair to him, he was much further out and with defenders blocking the route to goal; Felix has no such excuses.
32 min And here come Chelsea again! Felix eases forward, spreads to Ziyech, and when the cut-back arrives into stride it looks a lot like 0-1! But as Can hurls self in front of ball, Felix chucks head back, and attempting a side-footer into the roof, he instead sends it well over the bar. That was, I’m afraid, Ye’ve Gottae Score territory.
30 min Again, James picks out a yellow head, this time Ozcan’s, and though Fernandez – who, like Bellingham, has been Trappist-mouse quiet – sends the ball back into the box, Felix strays offside.
29 min Loftus-Cheek plays a nice ball to Havertz, who’s a little slow with his pass out to Ziyech, who tries a curled cross that’s deflected away. But Chelsea maintain pressure and Ziyech, going nowhere, somehow buys a foul out of Guerreiro. James and Chilwell stand behind the free-kick…
27 min Nice from Dortmund, Brandt allowed space to turn, and he advances really well, stabbing a pass in front of Haller, to his right, with disguise on the off-stride. It’s really nicely done and I’m not sure Haller anticipated it, delaying his shot just long enough for Koulibaly to slide in so that the only lane available to him takes the effort into the near-post side-netting.
25 min “19 year old captains?” asks R Verkuijlen. “Mathijs de Ligt at Ajax, started when 18!”
Ach, of course he did. I’ve not seen that much of him this season, but is he not quite as good as he promised to be?
23 min Adeyemi attack space vacated by James, wriggles down the left and crosses looking for Haller … but Koulibaly is there again to intercept. He’s started really well.
22 min This is a much better game than Paris v Bayern and though I don’t think either of these can win the thing, the teams I rate above them aren’t so good that I couldn’t see them losing to either on a goods night.
20 min “Tim Wheeler was sixteen when he wrote Girl From Mars,” says Matt Dony. “That’s the same thing, isn’t it?”
It is for me. Ash are a couple of years older that I am, but I couldn’t help but notice what they were doing with their teenage years relative to what i was doing with mine. But the king of teenage genius is Rakim, who was 19 when Paid in Full came out. It’s mindblowing.
18 min Brandt finds space down the right and sets Wolf away, but under pressure from Chilwell, he has a massive heave at the ball, misses most of it, and shanks wide of the near post.
NO GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Chelsea
He did indeed flick it home with a hand and is booked for his trouble. That might cost Chelsea later, much as the temptation must’ve been hard to resist.
GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 0-1 Chelsea (Thiago Silva 16)
James whips in to the near post and Thiago heads home … or did he punch!
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15 min Kobel flaps at the corner and Ozcan has to help him out, lashing clear. But Chelsea come straight back at them and Mudryk incites Haller to foul him. Free-kick, outside the right edge of the box…
13 min Big header away from Koulibaly and Felix breaks down the left touchline, exchanging passes with Mudryk before advancing … and Ziyech’s at the back post! But he can’t find him with his cross, and Chelsea win a corner which yields another, Schlotterbeck again the man to win the first header. He’s playing superbly.
12 min Havertz heads away Guerreiro’s corner but Brandt plays him back in and this time he tries a dink, Ziyech heading clear before blocking Can’t shot behind for another corner. Dortmund, attacking the Yellow Wall, are building a bit of pressure here.
11 min Schlotterbeck heads the corner clear and we’ve got our tempo back, Dortmund countering with Guerreiro and the ball finding a way into Adeyemi down the left of the box; he wins a corner.
10 min Brandt into Haller, who’s crowded out, but the ball moves on to Adeyemi, also crowded out, and Chelsea counter, Mudryk winning corner. He’s been lively so far.
10 min “It feels strange to say this,” emails Justin Madsen, “but Hummels and Reus are no longer automatic starters in this Dortmund team. Hummels has been making costly mistakes in the Bundesliga, which combined with his glacial pace means trouble. Reus has lost the speed and stamina needed to run as much as is needed in Terizic’s team. Age comes for us all, it seems. Except Thiago Silva.”
Ha! I’m not sure Silva has enough to play as one of two, and I’d guess that next season, he’s not a regular.
9 min After a frantic start, it’s a bit quiet and scrappy now.
8 min At Arsenal, Bukayo Saka has just scored a penalty which makes it 1-1, Kevin de Bruyne having given City the lead.
7 min Bit of possession from Chelsea, trying to take the heat out of the game. And, as I type that, James, infield hits a big switch out to Mudryk, and I wonder if that’s a plan – him not staying wide – partly because I was wondering this afternoon if he might be too good not to play in the middle of the pitch.
5 min “Ray Wilkins captained Chelsea aged 18,” reminds Mark Taylor, and I think Bobby Moore was young when he first led West Ham too.
3 min Havertz wins possession in centrefield and lanks away down the middle. But a heavy touch allows Can to get in the road and the ball bounces back to Kobel, while Can administers a minor shove because how could he not?
2 min Chelsea allow Dortmund to play out and they sweep a lovely move from left to right, before Brandt plays one pass to many … and Chelseas counter, Mudryk streaking clear before Schlotterbeck slides in, confiscates possession, and clears. He timed that tackle beautifully, and though he didn’t win the ball cleanly to begin with, had the presence of mind to nick it away with his second touch. That was a terrific passage.
1 min “19 year old captains?” says Gene Salorio. “Fernando Torres at Atletico.”
First half kick-off!
1 min Away we go!
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A moment of silence for those affected by the Turkey/Syria earthquake.
I’m sure I’ll regret saying this, but I can’t remember the last time a 19-year-old was captain of a team as big as Dortmund. Tony Adams at Arsenal?
Play the music! What a tune! Someone needs to give it as jungle remix.
Goodness me, the ground is jumping, bouncing and howling as the players come out, the tifo showing a fan, a globe and a sun. I’ve done it no justice whatsoever, but whatetvz, it’s massive.
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My wife has pointed out that, seeing as we – OK I – have been talking Ghanaian musicians, King Promise is a Chelsea fan.
As for Dortmund, I’m sure they’ll be targeting the space in behind those Chelsea full-backs, and be looking to play into Haller and, while he occupies the centre-backs, be asking Adeyemi, Bellingham and Brandt to hit the box running in behind.
So where is tonight’s game? By the looks of things, Dortmund are trying to force Chelsea around the sides … but I daresay Chelsea will be seeking to get around the sides. Both James and Chilwell will have licence to get forward given two defensive midfielders able to cover, and with Ziyech and Mudryk both looking to come inside, they’ll presumably be tasked with supplying width. The side Graham Potter’s picked looks to have a decent balance, as it goes, because Felix roaming central offers a different threat.
“I’ve been following the Bundesliga for over a decade,” emails Aditi Modi. “I’ve been living in Germany for a couple of years now. Never ONCE did my English-speaking self think of Mats Hummels as ‘a favourite plural’ name. But now I will. From now on, he is indeed my favourite plural.”
I’ll tell you what i’m really looking forward to tonight: Jude Bellingham v Enzo Fernandez. If I’m honest, my opinion on Fernandez is coloured by what other people say because, though he was decent at the World Cup, I don’t think he was that decent. But from what I’ve read, everyone who’s seen lots of him sees a generational player, able to do almost everything you’d want a midfielder to do, while Bellingham I’ve seen with my eyes has everything – and both are absolute killers. Given Bellingham has Can behind him, he should have proper licence to get into the box, and I can’t wait to see how Chelsea, and Fernandez in particular, deal with that.
“Is Jeff Sax suggesting that everyone should just play one game, and whoever has the best result wins Football?” wonders Matt Dony. “It certainly does solve the player-workload issue…”
And the MBM-er’s.
“It will be extremely interesting to see how Mudryk gets on with Chilwell as left-back,” reckons Julian Menz. “I don’t give much credence to the ‘he won’t pass, so I won’t’ Mudryk v Cucurella nonsense, and I don’t like singling out certain players, but let’s face it, Cucurella has been abject pants recently.”
Yes, I was a little surprised Chelsea signed Cucurella, who looked a decent player but not one a side hoping to win the big pots might need – though I guess he’s waffly versatile and might be a decent alternative when Chilwell needs a rest. Still, though, I’d expect Mudryk will be happy with the change.
On which point, seeing as we’re here to share love, here’s the brilliant DJ Shagy playing an Afrobeats/amapiano set:
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“I sure hope today’s matches are better than yesterday!” pleads Joe Pearson. “Enjoyed the ‘Detty December’ playlist (even though it was long), so here’s my contribution. Every year I put together a tribute playlist honouring performers, and sometimes inventors, who passed in the previous year that I share with a couple dozen friends. Here is the most recent edition. Hope you enjoy. P.S. I also write a fairly longwinded set of ‘liner-notes’ that I’d be happy to forward to anyone interested.”
What can I say, my mother-in-law was away with us, so we had babysitting and lot of late nights early mornings. For those not with us for PSG v Bayern last evening, Detty December is the name given to the Christmas/new year party season in Accra, so I shared our playlist, now below Joe’s, which I look forward to enjoying as soon as possible.
Email! “Chelsea couldn’t beat West Ham!” says Jeff Sax. “What can they possibly do against Dortmund?”
Yes, but today is another day and sport, football in particular, doesn’t work like that. Chelsea will have more space tonight, their players might play better, Dortmund might have an off-night; all sorts of things can happen and that’s why we love it.
Ach, something I meant to note about that Chelsea XI: Mason Mount isn’t in it, again, and Joao Felix, who might be off in May, is. When Thomas Tuchel arrived at the Bridge, he left Mount out of his first team, then never did so again, whereas it seems like Potter doesn’t really fancy him – and there’s a contract situation brewing. I see both sides: Mount is Chelsea and has proved himself dependable in big games, but on the other, over the course of the season, his numbers probably aren’t good enough for the role he plays. I’d not be surprised if he left in the summer, because I can’t see him sitting on the bench regularly.
Apparently there’s another game going on tonight and one that, perhaps, might decide the destination of this seasons’s Premier League title. I know it’s only February, and that we’ve played fewer games than usual, but if Arsenal win tonight and win their game in hand they’d be nine points ahead, a huge deficit, whereas if City win, the pressure might tell. Anyhow, Scott Murray has all the goings-on.
As for Chelsea, Benoit Badiashile isn’t on the Champions League list – he’s replaced by Kalidou Koulibaly – while Noni Madueke is left out entirely. I’m a little surprised Hakim Ziyech starts, but I guess Potter wants his composure, ball-retention and set-piece delivery. Meantime, Ben Chilwell replaces Marc Cucurella – if he can stay fit, I’d expect him to stay in – and Ruben Loftus-Cheek continues next to Enzo Fernandez.
Dortmund deploy the 4-2-3-1 they used to win at Bochum the week before last, but there are still some surprises in selection, Mats Hummels, our favourite plural, missing out, and Marco Reus too. My guess that that Terzic wants pace on the pitch, because he also also prefers Karim Adeyemi, who’s not played for 10 days, to Gio Reyna. Jude Bellingham wears the armband.
Ah, first of all, here’s Graham Potter. He says he thought his team attacked well early doors at West Ham, but tonight is completely different and his team are looking forward to it. They feel lucky to be in this position and are excited to take it on – they need to block out external stuff, be present, and stick to the moments; the crowd will be a factor because it’s a Champions League night, and Chelsea need to embrace the pressure “because that’s when the good stuff happens”.
Alreet, I’m going to write these down, then we’ll have a chat about what they mean.
Teams!
Borussia Dortmund (4-1-4-1): Kobel; Wolf, Süle, Schlotterbeck, Guerreiro; Emre Can; Brandt, Bellingham, Özcan, Adeyemi; Haller. Subs: Reyna, Dahoud, Reus, Hummels, Modeste, Malen, Meunier, Ryerson, Meyer, Rothe, Bynoe-Gittens, Coulibaly.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Kepa; James, Thiago Silva, Koulibaly, Chilwell; Enzo Fernández, Loftus-Cheek; Ziyech, João Félix, Mudryk; Havertz. Subs: Kovacic, Bettinelli, Chalobah, Mount, Zakaria, Gallagher, Azpilicueta, Chukwuemeka, Cucurella, Fofana, Bergström, Hall.
Preamble
Tenth in the league with 23 goals scored in 22 games, out of the FA Cup, and with just three wins in their last 15 – against Dinamo Zagreb, Bournemouth and Palace – a run that includes eight defeats. Chelsea are rubbish, right?
Er, not quite. Well, OK, quite – but there’s more to it than that. Graham Potter inherited an unbalanced squad missing the masking agent that is N’Golo Kanté and the everything that is Reece James, then spent a fair bit of time compounding that by acquiring a multitude of players, in vulgar style and with little apparent plan.
However, various of those new arrivals are excellent. Enzo Fernández has settled in immediately, João Félix looks there too and Mykhailo Mudryk has a lot of talent – plus James is fit again.
In any event, Potter is a systems coach so needs time to get his players, lots of whom are inexperienced, doing what he wants – yes, all the more so now he’s 690,721 new ones to assimilate – and finally, we’re starting to see signs. Though Chelsea didn’t beat West Ham last weekend, they created enough chances to win three games and, even if the lack of a finisher costs them in the short-term, once they’ve added one they’ll be a very serious problem.
Whether they’re ready to beat Dortmund – who’ve been going through their own process – is another matter. After an abject start to the season, they’re improving quickly now they know what Edin Terzic wants from them, and though Youssoufa Moukoko is injured, Jude Bellingham, Julian Brandt and Gio Reyna have plenty. And that’s before we consider Jamie Bynoe-Gittens – 18, English, and once of Chelsea – who scored at the weekend.
All of which is to say that, when the draw was made, this looked one of its less intriguing ties, but now it’s arrived it is fascinating.
Kick-off: 9pm local, 8pm GMT
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