Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw against FC Salzburg in the Champions League on Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge.
Raheem Sterling fired Chelsea ahead in the 48th minute after a goalless first-half. A curled finish from the edge of the area after a cross from Mason Mount wasn’t dealt with, and Sterling fired home with the Blues’ first shot on target.
RB Salzburg equalised in the 75th minute. Noah Okafor beat Kepa Arrizabalaga with a deflected shot after some poor Chelsea defending as Thiago Silva was punished for a defensive error.
Chelsea pushed for a winner but it ended up as a draw in a frustrating first game for Potter, who will hope to do better in Chelsea’s next game, away to Crystal Palace, after the international break. It leaves Chelsea with work to do if they want to qualify out of Group E for the knockout stages..
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Here is what Absolute Chelsea learned from the draw in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
1) Potter will need time to develop his system
Graham Potter has been in the Chelsea hot seat for six days, it would be harsh to expect that he had completely implemented his system on the first team in his short time at the helm. There were clear signs of a change to a more attacking, possession- based team, which hadn’t been evident in the last few matches under Thomas Tuchel. A late equaliser from Salzburg shouldn’t put Potter’s first game in a negative light, but it’s going to take time for his system to work with a team so used to Tuchel’s system.
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2) Sterling is essential to the new system
His goal would have helped his confidence, but overall Raheem Sterling was integral to everything Chelsea did in an attacking sense tonight. Played on the left by new manager Potter, Sterling was able to find himself in good positions every time The Blues went forward, making good runs and making himself available frequently. Salzburg’s late equaliser shouldn’t detract from his impressive performance.
3) Mount showed his worth
Criticised for his early season performances, calls for Mason Mount to be dropped wouldn’t have been too wide of the mark. His seven previous appearances had resulted in no goals and assists, tonight was redemption for the former youth team player. An assist for Sterling’s goal and tracked back on frequent occasions during the course of the game. He will hope to continue this sort of form in the matches ahead as he aims for a starting place for England at the World Cup.
4) Not clinical enough
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Chelsea’s new era showed a lot of promise in this first game. Quick, possession based football excited the crowd, but despite this, there were no shots on target in the first half. Sterling’s opener was The Blues first attempt on target, after 47 minutes. Potter will be optimistic that he can change the fortunes of the club in the coming weeks, but will have to find a way to unlock the goal scoring talents of players such as Kai Havertz and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang if he wants to turn things around.
5) Group E will now be hard to progress from
Most Chelsea fans would have been delighted to have avoided any of the so-called European superpowers in the group stage of the Champions league. Despite this, after two games against the supposed weaker teams in the group, Chelsea have one point from two games, and only scored one goal. Up next in group E is a double header against AC Milan, which will be presumably more difficult than the first two. Chelsea may find themselves in a very difficult position after matchday four as they hope to progress to the round of 16.
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Topics: Chelsea, Red Bull Salzburg, Champions League, Football