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Football London
Football London
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Bobby Vincent

Graham Potter's shock Chelsea change from Thomas Tuchel vs Milan as Denis Zakaria question asked

The scene was set at the San Siro. There were still about 30 minutes left until kick-off and the world-famous stadium was literally rocking.

The AC Milan supporters were – in unison – singing in Italian to Gala's 1996 hit "Freed from Desire". They were expectant and if you asked a lot of Chelsea fans, they were expecting a much tougher match than we saw less than a week ago in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge.

The atmosphere was electric and Milan's fan base were hoping that could then translate down to the players on the pitch. It was a shaky start from both sides with the ball bouncing between the teams. Nobody could get a real grip of the match.

READ MORE: Chelsea player ratings as Jorginho, Mason Mount and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang shine vs AC Milan

That was until Chelsea did turn on the switch. Mason Mount was found making a brilliant run in behind the Milan defence and was brought down by his good friend Fikayo Tomori. The former Blues defender was shown a straight red card, with the visitors having the chance to open the scoring from 12 yards.

Jorginho, back in his homeland, stepped up and calmly converted the spot-kick in typical style. Chelsea were leading and had a massive advantage in front of a shocked – but still deafening – Milan faithful.

Moments later, a brilliant team move, typified by an intelligent Mount lay-off, was converted by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Chelsea striker scored his third goal in as many matches with a clinical, low finish.

It was a superb goal. Without getting too carried away, it's the sort of goal we'd come to expect from the likes of Manchester City over the last few years. Quick movement between the attackers and a deadly finish.

Mateo Kovacic had the ball about 30 yards out, fizzed a pass at Mount, who very smartly laid it off to Aubameyang, who struck it in near-post. If Aubameyang wasn't there, Raheem Sterling would have been.

Rather brutally, it's something we didn't see enough of under Thomas Tuchel. For whatever reason, the attacking play didn't seem to flow under the German, even in his best days. When Chelsea were at their best under Tuchel, it tended to be down to a solid defensive performance rather than their talents offensively.

It's very early on in Potter's reign as Chelsea head coach, but so far the signs are that he is finding a balance between defending and attacking – something Blues supporters have been crying out for over the years.

There were shouts of 'Potter-ball' on Twitter and other social media platforms. That's what we're seeing. It's by no means finished. How could it be, he's just over a month into the job? But the signs are very good.

There is one – slightly negative – question that needs to be asked, though, and that is what's happening with Denis Zakaria? Chelsea signed the Switzerland international on transfer deadline day on a season-long loan deal from Juventus.

So far, however, Zakaria is yet to play a single minute of football for his temporary club. He was, of course, a Tuchel signing, so there is that awkward turnover which can be detrimental for a new signing.

"I know that he [Tuchel] agreed with the deal, that he wanted this deal," Zakaria explained earlier in the month. "For me, it was clear that when you can have a trainer like Tuchel, it is a big opportunity for a player. He is a big, big trainer and I was really happy to have the chance to train with him.

"But yes, after some days, it was already finished! It was disappointing for him, of course, and for me. I think he is a good trainer and he could have helped me a lot. But we also have a new trainer now [Potter] and I'm really happy, also. I will give my best to be the best and to help the team."

The reality for Zakaria, though, is if he cannot get himself on the pitch against the 10 men of Milan when the game was all-but-won, when can he? At the moment – and of course this could all change – it looks like we're going to see a repeat of the Saul Niguez loan from last season. At least Saul got some minutes.

Oh well. You cannot be too down after a dominant display like that at the San Siro. Four wins in four now for Potter and Chelsea.

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