Well, no one said this would be easy. You only get one chance at a first impression and although Graham Potter will be pleased with large parts of his team’s performance against FC Salzburg, he and Chelsea come away without the result they were looking for, as well as some familiar frustrations. Raheem Sterling’s fine finish to give Chelsea the lead followed an encouraging opening spell from Potter’s side but as casualness crept in, Thiago Silva’s lapse led to Noah Okafor’s equaliser and a potentially sticky situation in Group E.
Much of that, of course, is not of Potter’s own making and instead there can be a lot to take from his first experience of the Champions League. After a disastrous display and result in Zagreb, the sacking of Thomas Tuchel and a whirlwind week, Chelsea were far sharper and Potter’s early work on the training ground was evident, but this remains a team who are low on confidence and restoring it will be the former Brighton manager’s more pertinent task in the coming weeks.
