It was frustration for Graham Potter on his Chelsea bow as the Blues could only muster a 1-1 draw against FC Salzburg at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening in the Champions League.
Graham Potter will have much to ponder this evening after his Chelsea side were held to a draw in his first match in charge at the club.
Chelsea started the game well and played some very good football in the first half which would have been encouraging viewing for Potter and the Chelsea faithful. However a familiar pattern began to emerge, as despite dominance of the play, the blues could not muster up anything more than a half chance before the break.
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After all the good play in the first half, it did not take long for Chelsea to break the deadlock in the second, with Raheem Sterling curling in a composed finish in the 48th minute, the first attack of the half, after some nice build up from Mason Mount and Reece James on the right hand side.
However, Chelsea could not hang onto their lead with Salzburg growing into the game as the second half wore on, before Noah Okafor swept in past Kepa Arrizabalaga in the 75th minute, after some poor defending by the blues.
Chelsea pushed for a late winner, and mustered up a few chances, however Armando Broja and Hakim Ziyech could not provide Potter with the finishes needed to give him the win he would have
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Here is how Absolute Chelsea rated the Blues' performance vs FC Salzburg in the Champions League.
Kepa Arrizabalaga - 6/10
Not much he could have done with the goal after the ball took a nick off Azpilicueta taking it away from him. Looked solid with the ball, apart from one overhit pass to Jorginho where a foul spared any further issues for the stand-in keeper. Made a sharp save from Sesko late in the first half too.
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Reece James - 7/10
Was his usual influential self from right back. Put in a few strong crosses and was involved in the build up to Sterlings' goal. Blazed a few long range chances over the bar, but looked very strong in possession and defensively.
Cesar Azpilicueta - 5/10 (81)
Solid in possession, playing on the right hand side of the back three, and put in one or two dangerous crosses. Was at fault for the Salzburg goal after not staying tight enough to his man Okafor, and was lucky Okafor didn’t score from a header minutes earlier when he lost him again.
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Thiago Silva - 6/10
Played well until the Salzburg goal. Tidy in possession and made one or two important blocks, but missed one that led to Salzburg scoring. Generally played well as at times a one man defence, but will need to cut out errors and missed blocks in dangerous areas moving forward, as they will be punished.
Marc Cucurella - 7/10
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Cucurella was very busy down the left hand side, and has clearly benefited from playing under Potter previously, as he looked very at home in this new look system. Cucurella was sharp in the tackle, and important going forward, although was arguably caught out of position for the equaliser.
Jorginho - 6/10
Dictated the tempo of the game nicely without having a huge impact on the game. Jorginho was vital to the flowing passing football Potter is looking to implement at Chelsea, and was diligent in his defensive duties, although would have hoped to offer more going forward, bar one long ball to Aubameyang.
Mateo Kovacic - 6/10 (81)
A solid game for the Croatian, who was very busy in central midfield and looks to suit Potters’ fluid style of play. Kovacic threw himself into tackles, and made efforts to get forward too, linking the ball nicely with his teammates, although lacked a penetrative edge that still evades him too regularly.
Mason Mount - 8/10
Mason Mount seems to suit playing in this slightly deeper role alongside Matteo Kovacic in Chelsea’s midfield. Mount was very involved in a lot of the good attacking play on show, and picked up an assist for his efforts with a fine ball into Raheem Sterling. Mount picked up good positions, but will be rueing his first half miss which fizzed past the post.
Raheem Sterling - 8/10 (84)
Sterling was played in an unfamiliar left midfield role by Potter which would have raised a few eyebrows before the game, but he took to it like a duck to water. Sterling thrived playing on the wide left and took on his man effectively a few times, whilst also being able to make dangerous back post runs. Sterling was rewarded for his endeavour with a cool, curling finish and always looked more dangerous than his teammates.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 6/10 (66)
Had a few half chances in the first half that were always going to be difficult to take, although he wasn’t heavily involved in much of the build up play. Aubameyang's movement did look sharp at times, although truthfully never looked like scoring.
Kai Havertz - 5/10 (66)
A relatively quiet game for Havertz, who struggled to impact proceedings as much as his attacking peers. Had one strong header well blocked which was potentially goal bound, but otherwise struggled to produce any meaningful moments during the game.
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Armando Broja - 6/10 (66)
Missed a good chance to win it late on when he narrowly blazed over in the box. Looked lively when he came on but could not finish his chance when needed.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek - 6/10 (66)
Had a positive impact off the bench and nearly won a penalty after a strong run down the right. Played behind the striker when he came on, further showcasing his ability to be Chelsea’s utility man.
Conor Gallagher - 5/10 (81)
Brought energy to the team when searching for an equaliser, but not much more than that.
Hakim Ziyech - 4/10 (81)
Missed three chances he could have scored and looked like a man under pressure.
Christian Pulisic - N/A (84)
Topics: Red Bull Salzburg, Chelsea, Champions League, Football
Jamie Skelly