Ben Chilwell is back
The Blues defender saw his first start since Chelsea's last Champions League game, when he was injured in the dying minutes of a win over Dinamo Zagreb, on Wednesday night. Chilwell came into the side for the under-pressure Marc Cucurella, as Graham Potter recognised that the 26-year-old's profile meshed well with what the Spaniard is judged to lack.
He explained ahead of the game: "Chilwell coming in for Marc and gives us a different type of profile for that position. We've been building him up with regards to his fitness and I think he is ready to start tonight."
Chilwell quickly showed he had greater intention to move up the pitch than Cucurella, though did also have some difficult moments as the likes of Julian Brandt attacked. Nevertheless, his ability to overlap past Mykhailo Mudryk opened up forgotten avenues for Chelsea and served as a reminder of what the England international could provide. It even seemed to inspire Cucurella, who replaced Chilwell after 70 minutes, into a more aggressive performance which is hopefully a sign of things to come.
READ MORE: Chelsea player ratings as Kalidou Koulibaly solid but Joao Felix and Kai Havertz frustrate
Unfortunately, Chelsea's defeat saw Potter's record of being unbeaten with Reece James and Ben Chilwell on the pitch fall. Their combination will continue to be a major strength if the Chelsea boss can take advantage of it.
However, both players must be managed. While Chilwell's substitution was planned, he left with a knock that must be checked.
Lack of forward remains clear but the issue wasn't the same
Once again Chelsea failed to trouble the scoreline. The Blues have barely managed a goal per game over the course of this season and a flurry of missed chances only reinforced that Chelsea did not have an out-and-out striker on the pitch. However, Chelsea's issue was not what it so often has been.
Joeo Felix's arrival at the club has helped spark an increased set of chance creation. The Blues have often struggled to muster even a handful of shots on target this term and against Dortmund they managed eight from 21 shots in total.
That saw Enzo Fernandez, Hakim Ziyech, Joao Felix and Kai Havertz each record four shots without troubling the scoreline. Felix in particular will be disappointed to have missed two prime opportunities. Chelsea created more quality chances than their opponents but Karim Adeyemi showed what it was to be clinical in front of goal. The Westfalenstadion's visitors did not show that same edge.
"With a little bit of luck and final execution, we would have got the deserved goal," noted Potter in his press conference. While true, given Chelsea's xG was superior to their opponents and exceeded two, it counts for very little at the moment.
That good chances weren't taken only served to reinforce that Chelsea had no striker in their squad and chose to leave Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and David Datro Fofana at home. Potter's players must capitalise on their opportunities or risk the pressure building on that decision.
Champions League squad choice to be questioned
When Chelsea's teammsheet was released it quickly became apparent that Chelsea did not have a forward in their squad. There was no fox in the box to call upon as the game wore on and if Kai Havertz picks up an injury, options are limited for Chelsea can choose to lead the line in the Champions League.
Should Aubameyang have been included in Chelsea's squad for the knockout stages just so they had the option? Some would argue the veteran should have following Wednesday's issues, particularly because Potter opted to only use two of his substitutions while they likes of Carney Chukwuemeka, Conor Gallagher, Mateo Kovacic and Denis Zakaria all remained on the bench. It's easy to feel the squad is overloaded in certain areas, though recent injuries have made that difficult to visualise.
While people may question the player sacrificed, Potter has made it clear his January signings will be involved. Mykhailo Mudryk, Enzo Fernandez and Joao Felix all started against Borussia Dortmund and likely will again at Stamford Bridge.
Kalidou Koulibaly can step up
One player who missed the cut is Benoit Badiashile. The Frenchman has been impressive alongside Thiago Silva in recent weeks and can count himself as unfortunate to miss out on the Champions League squad.
The young defender has provided a surprising level of consistency that Potter failed to find when starting Kalidou Koulibaly in the first games back following the World Cup. On this occasion, the Senegal international showed he could reach the level required however.
The former Napoli star was arguable Chelsea's best performer and rebounded well given there has been a great deal of scrutiny over his future despite just singing for the club in the summer.
Koulibaly matched Silva in making four clearances and blocked more shots while showing his ability on the ball that had failed him. The defender only fell short of Ruben Loftus-Cheek in passing accuracy despite having only made fewer passes than Silva and Fernandez.
Given he came closest to scoring for Chelsea and showed he could carry the ball up the pitch, not a bad outing at all.
READ NEXT:
Every word Graham Potter said on Chelsea positives, Adeyemi goal, Chilwell knock, missed chances
Graham Potter provides update on Ben Chilwell after Chelsea substitution vs Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund vs Chelsea highlights: Karim Adeyemi goals spoils Blues night
Lionel Messi transfer update as 'meeting' held over PSG star amid Inter Miami and Chelsea links
Neymar £50m Chelsea transfer could force Christian Pulisic decision amid Arsenal links