In itself, it was an illustration of how the sheen has come off Graham Potter’s start at Chelsea that he described a 2-0 defeat as “a step forward”. Given how dismal Sunday’s loss to Arsenal was, he was correct within that context. Rewind 17 months, however, and a previous meeting of Chelsea and Manchester City ended with Thomas Tuchellifting the Champions League.
Such comparisons may feel unfair: after all, Tuchel never faced City with as depleted a team as the one Potter took to the Etihad Stadium for a Carabao Cup tie. And yet Chelsea are a short-termist club defined by an ability to win silverware and perhaps Potter’s best chance of taking a trophy to Stamford Bridge disappeared before the last-16 draw. The timing of the Carabao Cup has felt inconvenient for London’s representatives in Europe, each fatigued by their commitments on the continent, as all four went out. For Chelsea, there was the mitigating factor of having the toughest tie of all, away at the serial winners of this competition.
