Chelsea are currently stuck in a bit of a mire under Graham Potter.
The Blues have lost six out of the last nine matches in all competitions, are out of both domestic cups and look unlikely to secure a place in the Champions League. The former Brighton manager has plenty to think through as the pressure continues to crank up at Stamford Bridge.
He has even turned to a number of his senior players for in-house crisis talks as he attempts to steer Chelsea away from extremely choppy waters. It is certainly not a quick fix for Potter or the Blues and he will certainly be working hard to get the Blues back on track.
Here are just a handful of the problems that he needs to address or he could potentially risk paying with his job, having only been in the role a matter of months.
Decide on his best team
Having been in the role since mid-September after taking the reins from Thomas Tuchel, it appears that Potter is still not clear on what is his best side at Stamford Bridge. That lack of consistency continues to cost the Blues dear.
Since his arrival at Chelsea, a vast array of players have been in and out of the starting line-up in a variety of different positions. That lack of a real identity and thought process behind his team selections will only prove to cause confusion and frustration.
Potter needs a reliable starting XI that he can hang his hat on with a few quality back-ups to be drafted in when required. What that is, only he can decide.
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Be careful with injury returnees
Potter’s constant changing of his side this season hasn’t been helped by Chelsea’s continually growing injury list. The Blues currently have 10 players restricted to the sidelines - six of those you would say are first-choice.
Whilst supporters will no doubt be keen to see the likes of Reece James, Ben Chilwell and N’Golo Kante return to the Blues’ starting line-up sooner rather than later, there needs to be caution. The last thing that Chelsea need are more long-term injuries for the trio and their teammates - particularly during the closing months of the season where the club look set to be in for a fight to earn a spot in the Champions League.
But then there is a balancing act to find in that Chelsea are considerably far away from their rivals without their best players. Potter then needs to develop a detailed plan alongside his sports science team over when it would be best to reintroduce the Blues’ crop of crocked stars.
Work out Aubameyang’s future
It goes without saying that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ’s move back to the Premier League has not worked out for any party. The Gabonese has scored just three goals and even suffered the ignominy of being taken off the pitch despite having been introduced as a substitute.
Reports in Spain have suggested that his former club Barcelona are interested in taking him back to the Camp Nou and it might be wise for Chelsea to allow him to do just that. Whilst Aubameyang was an excellent striker during his time at Arsenal, his powers have waned and the resources that he is taking up could certainly be used to improve the team elsewhere.
Bring in a creative midfielder
Speaking of potential signings, Chelsea could do worse than looking for a recruits in the centre of the park that could help with their creativity. Shockingly, the Blues have only recruited one midfielder on a permanent deal since Mateo Kovacic ’s arrival from Real Madrid in 2019 - that being this summer’s acquisition of Aston Villa youngster Carney Chukwuemeka.
The Blues are severely missing quality attacking instincts in the centre of the park. All of their current crop of midfielders only have 18 goal contributions between them in all competitions this season - Mason Mount accounting for the vast majority of that.
That lack of creativity is certainly harming the side with the Blues having taken an average of just 10.9 shots per game this season, a number that is bettered by 15 clubs in the top-flight. Another central midfielder might not be an instant fix but it would certainly help.
Get some speed in the side
Another place in which the Blues have been awful this season is attacking sides at speed. As per WhoScored, Chelsea have not scored a goal via a counter-attack this season.
Whilst that is not a terminal sign, Arsenal having also not managed the same, the Gunners have been capable of getting goals elsewhere. With Chelsea struggling in their build-up play, an adaptation to a slightly more counter-attacking style could help them in that regard.
The first step to that would be to introduce far more speed into the side and the likes of Sterling, Pulisic and more would certainly help in that regard - albeit the pair currently being on the sidelines through injury.
Work on set pieces
Potter will also need to put some work into Chelsea becoming far better from set pieces than they currently are. Whilst not the worst side in the Premier League, the Blues’ inability to both threaten from and defend set pieces should be a worry for Potter.
The Blues have conceded six set pieces this term, just six clubs in the top-flight having a worse record than that. Meanwhile, the Londoners are barely a threat the other way having only netted three goals from their own set piece situations.
For comparison, top four rivals Tottenham have netted ten. Considerable work on the training pitch in this regard will likely only result in the Blues going one way and that’s up the Premier League table.
