Well, no one said this would be easy. You only get one chance at a first impression and although Graham Potter will be pleased with large parts of his team’s performance against FC Salzburg, he and Chelsea come away without the result they were looking for, as well as some familiar frustrations. Raheem Sterling’s fine finish to give Chelsea the lead followed an encouraging opening spell from Potter’s side but as casualness crept in, Thiago Silva’s lapse led to Noah Okafor’s equaliser and a potentially sticky situation in Group E.
Much of that, of course, is not of Potter’s own making and instead there can be a lot to take from his first experience of the Champions League. After a disastrous display and result in Zagreb, the sacking of Thomas Tuchel and a whirlwind week, Chelsea were far sharper and Potter’s early work on the training ground was evident, but this remains a team who are low on confidence and restoring it will be the former Brighton manager’s more pertinent task in the coming weeks.
With just one point from their opening two group games, a tricky double header against AC Milan looms next month that will go a long way to determining whether Chelsea are still involved in the competition come the new year. Before then, Potter will have time to get to work and on the initial evidence of his first match in charge, the Englishman will hope to have made further strides by then - even if the scale of the job at hand was made clear here.
Potter arrived at Stamford Bridge with a reputation for improving players and can take heart by already seeing Sterling and Mason Mount produce their best performances of the season. They combined to score the first goal of the Potter era but if Chelsea were bright and lively until that point, there was a sharp reminder of why a Champions League winning manager in Tuchel lost his job just weeks into the new season.
The initial signs were promising, though. Tactical flexibility was one of the reasons Potter caught the eye at Brighton and he offered an immediate example of it with his first selection as Chelsea manager. There would be no staying safe: Tuchel’s back three was not quite dropped but rather adjusted to be more reflective of his predominant system at Brighton. Reece James pushed high right, Marc Cucurella tucked in and Sterling pulled wide left when Chelsea were in possession. It largely played out as a 3-1-4-2, but Chelsea’s shape also shifted and shimmered.
The results were exciting. After the turgid display in Zagreb, this was for most parts pretty fast and fluid. Sterling revelled in the space, Mount seemed released and Kai Havertz was more comfortable. Chelsea have not looked a quick team in recent weeks but they moved the ball with speed and zip in the opening stages. Salzburg, a team so reliant on pressure and intensity, became overwhelmed by it and were made to hang on.
Potter clapped in approval but despite his immediate and evident work on Chelsea’s shape, building confidence for a team struggling to score will take more time. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was involved but limited to half-chances, Havertz and Sterling had efforts blocked before Mount went close with a sliced volley from the edge of the box. As half time arrived, Salzburg had forced the only save as Benjamin Sesko’s sharp shot on the turn drew a smart reaction from Kepa.
The break came at a good time for Chelsea, just as Stamford Bridge was growing a touch impatient, and when they emerged to go again in the second half it was followed by an immediate breakthrough. Sterling’s fine goal on 48 minutes may have been Chelsea’s first shot on target but it has been coming, from its execution right down to its creation.
James had rolled his defender on the touchline earlier in the match and did so again before releasing Mount down the right. His ball driven across the box was missed by the defender Bernardo, left by Aubameyang and when it reached Sterling, the forward took a touch before curling an excellent finish into the far corner.
Chelsea seemed to settle after Sterling’s goal and you could feel the easing of tension and collective relaxing of shoulders in the spell that followed. Potter made his first changes, with Armando Broja and Ruben Loftus-Cheek coming on, but Salzburg sensed a slim lead and pounced upon Chelsea’s lapse. Almost to sum it up, Silva was too casual in sliding in to challenge Junior Aduma and when the forward wriggled clear and squared to Okafor, the striker slipped a finish underneath Kepa to equalise.
Chelsea had their chances late on. Broja and James fired over the crossbar while Hakim Ziyech shot straight at the goalkeeper Philipp Kohn. Potter will have wanted Chelsea to play like Brighton had been over the opening weeks of the season but replicating their underperformance in xG will not have been one of his pre-match messages.
At Ostersunds, Potter famously led a side he had taken charge of in the fourth division of Swedish football to a two-legged victory over Galatasaray in his first European match as a manager . But while his second opponent in the qualifying rounds of the Europa League were the Luxembourg champions Fola Esch, Potter will now lead out his team against the Italian champions AC Milan next month. This is the step up he now faces. Soon, results will have to follow too.
