Spare a thought for Thomas Tuchel if he was watching his previous flame with their new beau. A great deal of possession, elegant build-up, loads of width however not the photographs and objectives to replicate all that? He had been delivering that for months on finish at Stamford Bridge.
And so Graham Potter’s first sport in cost concluded reasonably as Tuchel’s final act had with a late barrage of photographs not sufficient to save lots of a day the place Chelsea did not make hay when the solar shone. A 1-1 dwelling draw with Pink Bull Salzburg to observe the loss at Dinamo Zagreb. It is going to be some time but earlier than the brand new supervisor can take into consideration matching his predecessor’s Champions League success in his first 12 months. For now, he has to consider getting out of the group.
To take action he wants to handle the problems that bedeviled Tuchel from day one to the top of his Chelsea regime. For all the celebrities that Chelsea can deploy of their assault, they make extraordinarily heavy work of getting good photographs away at purpose. Not till Hakim Ziyech volleyed straight at purpose within the third minute of added time did the hosts higher Salzburg’s tally of three photographs on track. Within the first half, the hosts accomplished greater than thrice the variety of passes of the Austrian ide, Reece James and Raheem Sterling alone had one fewer contact within the attacking third than Salzburg’s 54. They turned all that dominance into zero photographs on track and 0.55 anticipated objectives (xG).
Seventy % of the ball and 1.01 xG on the last whistle was a meager however acquainted return, and there are many holdovers to fret Potter. Mason Mount continues to be with no purpose this season although it ought to be famous that he regarded very relaxed with the defensive necessities positioned on him in a deeper position. Kai Havertz appears to have all of the expertise on this planet however requires probably the most completely honed of programs to permit him to take advantage of it. Maybe most regarding of all was that solely when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made manner for Armando Broja did Chelsea appear to have tempo in behind.
Nonetheless, each supervisor is allowed blips early in his tenure. In spite of everything, Tuchel’s started with the dropping of Mount, probably the most emblematic of gamers of Frank Lampard’s tenure, however the England worldwide was quickly in his coach’s finest books. And Potter would possibly replicate that his system did lots to maintain Salzburg away from purpose till a sensible transfer into area down the left within the seventy fifth minute. Even from then on defenders as skilled as Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta may and normally will do higher than they did in permitting Noah Okafor to attain.
In the meantime, while the capturing numbers don’t bounce off the web page, you would sense from the numbers attacking the field within the first half that this would possibly turn into a extra front-footed aspect. They may nonetheless use possession to insure themselves towards counters on the again however who’ve a barely looser leash, somewhat extra license to rise up the pitch and keep there.
Nowhere was the tweak extra obvious than on the left flank, the place Raheem Sterling discovered himself lined up. In concept, he was the left wing-back however the Stamford Bridge crowd would not confuse him for Ashley Cole in his pomp. No tackles, no clearances, no interceptions, three of 11 duels gained: for a lot of in his place this may be a disastrous night time.
However the statistics that mattered for Sterling have been the eight touches within the penalty space, the 2 photographs, and most significantly of all, the Forty eighth-minute strike that fired Chelsea into the lead. He alone stood out because the participant you’d belief with an enormous probability on this night time so at occasions it did really feel curious that the 27-year-old attacker was withdrawn from the motion, although it clearly enhanced the Blues’ build-up play. He would reveal after the sport that Potter had tasked him with pinning again younger proper again Amar Dedic, who scarcely ever superior past the midway line. With Marc Cucurella free to advance from his left middle again position and Mateo Kovacic drifting huge this was the hazard zone for Salzburg.
“I believe with how we performed, the possibilities we created, we dominated,” mentioned Sterling. “It is a dangerous consequence ultimately, however we performed some good soccer at occasions. I took the possibility however we’ve got to complete the job off. It felt like we have been in management, however one probability one purpose for them.”
Within the first half particularly it felt inevitable that a couple of purpose would come. However then it usually does with Chelsea. The purpose is coming any second now, only a second, dangle on, will probably be with you shortly. And even when it does ultimately arrive you may must make do with only one. That can not be sufficient, significantly if the protection just isn’t the finely tuned machine that Tuchel solid within the spring of 2021.
As participant gross sales and accidents robbed him of the supremely efficient unit that carried his aspect to Champions League glory, final season it felt Tuchel turned ever extra obsessive about fixing the protection first. He would get the foundations in place earlier than constructing a palace match for his attacking abilities. In the long run, he was by no means given the time. In his place, Potter gave the impression to be making an attempt for one thing totally different within the first sport of many, making an attempt to spark a fireplace on the entrance of his aspect within the hope it’ll sweep by way of any menace his opposition would possibly pose. If that’s to work he’ll want his forwards to complete much more clinically than they have been for his predecessor.