An Unexpected Twist In The Tale For Chelsea

Chelsea Football Club, one of the most prestigious clubs in English history, has sacked manager Thomas Tuchel following their defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League. Tuchel etched his name into the club’s history after leading them to every possible tournament final and winning the Champions League and the Club World Cup all in the span of two years. After the club spent nearly $300 million in the previous transfer window with dismal results, fans thought that he surely needed time. However, as we have seen multiple times in the past, Chelsea are ruthless as soon as their performances go against their liking. American owner Todd Boehly signed former Brighton manager Graham Potter on a five-year contract as a replacement. With a new manager under Chelsea’s belt, fans and pundits are stuck pondering the same question: how will he fare at Chelsea?

Though Boehly made a rash decision signing Potter, it is not to say that the club didn’t carefully consider their options. This decision contrasts those made by former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who preferred signing the experienced coaches who formerly managed other big name teams, such as Carlo Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho, and Antonio Conte. Potter is a man who deserves immense credit for the job he has done with the players at Brighton Hove and Albion, as they are in a Champions League position seven games in, and Boehly’s trust in him shows, with a yearly salary of almost $12 million. Potter has proven to be a successful manager in the Premier League, but he is inexperienced when it comes to the Champions League.

With all respect to Brighton, managing a team like Chelsea is a completely different ball game. For starters, the fan base is more reactionary and there is a lot more added pressure to the job. In addition, Chelsea has less time to prepare for games as they compete in the Champions League, meaning the team plays three games a week. Lastly, and most obviously, Potter is working with some of the best players in the world at Chelsea. Each player has their own mindset in terms of their willingness to start week-in-week-out, and certain players will be looking to head out of the club should their game-time requests not be fulfilled.

One of the main decisions Potter has to make that Chelsea fans are eager to know is his plan for the team’s formation and starting lineup. At Brighton, he utilized a center back (CB) trio of Lewis Dunk, Adam Webster, and Joel Veltman, who all fit the system extremely well. Luckily, for Chelsea, squad depth at CB is more than enough. Wesley Fofana, who was signed from Leicester earlier this summer, can fit in anywhere in the back three along with Kalidou Koulibaly and Thiago Silva, the latter who seems to get better with age. Trevoh Chalobah and César Azpilicueta are good options as well, with Chalobah being able to play at either right-center back (RCB) or left-center back (LCB) and Azpilicueta being able to play the RCB role as well as right wingback (RWB) when needed.

At Brighton, Potter utilized a player that was unknown by the people when he first joined Brighton, but by the time he left, everyone in the league knew his name: Marc Cucurella. In fact, Chelsea was the club who bought him earlier this year, so Potter’s signing is a rekindling of their previous relationship. What comes as a positive is that in Potter’s system, Cucurella is able to adapt to either LCB or left wingback (LWB), so the left-hand side of the pitch is essentially his area.

Potter is also known for selecting goalkeepers who are good with their feet and hands, which is very interesting because at Chelsea, it’s fair to say that the quality of goalkeeping isn’t ideal at the moment. Edouard Mendy, who had a fantastic 2021 season at Chelsea and led Senegal to the AFCON Championship last year, has been criticized for multiple below-par performances this season. Some argue this might be the perfect time for 2018 transfer bust Kepa Arrizabalaga, holder of the most expensive transfer fee for a goalie, to be given a chance between the sticks.

Switching views to a more attacking standpoint, Potter is known to utilize his wingers as almost a wingback. Brighton player Leandro Trossard was used as an attacking LWB, where he took on fullbacks from the opposing team and made darting runs into the box. From his first game in charge for Chelsea, we can create a direct comparison between Trossard and English forward Raheem Sterling, who has been deployed in the attacking LWB position at Chelsea. During the midweek Champions League match against Salzburg, Sterling was utilized in a different way than under Tuchel. He received much more of the ball, and his primary goal was to take on defenders and create patterns of play in and around the box to create dangerous positions. In the end, his goal brought the team into the lead, and the signs were optimistic in terms of Sterling’s future performances under Potter.

At the end of Tuchel’s tenure, English starlet Mason Mount was dropped. For some fans, this came as a shock, but many knew that Mount’s performances have been substandard since last season. In the game against Salzburg, Mount started in the No. 8 position, center midfield, where he played well on both ends of the pitch making five tackles, three interceptions, and winning five ground duels. In Potter’s system, we may see more of Mount in the midfield rather than in the front lines.

With these modifications, the signs look encouraging for Potter so far, but the work is far from over. After all, it is just one game with almost three quarters of the season left for this Chelsea team to get accustomed to his tactics and instructions. Chelsea staff and fans must trust Potter, as his tactics have the potential to form a Champions League-worthy team. If all goes well, another top four finish could be in the cards.