The beginning of 2023 brought a few fireworks at the City Ground but perhaps more than anything else, a reality check for Graham Potter and Chelsea.
The Blues made their return to Premier League football with a comfortable 2-0 win over Bournemouth with Mason Mount and Kai Havertz setting the club up to find the momentum they lacked before the World Cup. Coming into the new year with another opportunity to take points from a relegation contender, hopes were high for the trip to Nottingham Forest.
Chelsea did not have to wait too long to take the lead through Raheem Sterling, who finished from close-range after 16 minutes. Potter's side did not impose their position however and saw Forest remain very much in the game before dominating proceedings at the opening of the second period.
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Eventually, Serge Aurier found the net for the goal Steve Cooper's side deserved and Potter attempted to ring the changes. The spoils were shared however and football.london takes a look at what we learned from Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest.
A consistent starting XI?
It's been an area that Potter has been criticised for, probably unfairly so given Chelsea's schedule and injury record since the 47-year-old took to the hotseat. On New Year's Day, he did his very best to oblige however and kept the same team that started against Bournemouth, outside of Cesar Azpilicueta who replaced the injured Reece James.
Potter said ahead of the game: "We wanted to keep a winning team. It was a good performance against Bournemouth, certainly in the first half. I felt that was the right team to go with. Obviously we are going to miss Reece but Azpi is an experienced player and he can come in and help us there.
"He had a nice partnership with Jorgi. They worked well together. He did well against Brentford in the break in a behind-closed-doors game, so his form has been good. He gives us a bit of physicality in midfield, which is important."
Given the result, it would seem that team and/or system will be much less certain to face Manchester City, and changes will be expected. However, it has been an indication that Potter will hope to find some consistency in his methods.
Trevoh Chalobah has a challenge
Of the more surprising facets of Chelsea's Premier League restart could possible be Trevoh Chalobah's place on the bench. Since replacing Wesley Fofana in October, Chalobah has a claim to being the Blues' most consistent and reliable player under Potter. Given the 23-year-old then spent more time training under Potter than most during the break, it may have seemed simple for him to be an easy start in Chelsea's backline.
Instead the Blues boss has opted for Kalidou Koulibaly and Thiago Silva, a duo lacking the pace Chalobah would offer. The former has not been convincing so Chalobah's opportunity may come soon, but he does not appear to be Potter's favoured option currently. Maybe, wrongly so.
Kai Havertz goes missing
In the build up to Chelsea's trip to the Midlands, Potter had plenty of praise for Kai Havertz and discussed what he can offer leading the line.
"I think as a nine he gives you the flexibility and variability in the game," said Potter. "He can drop in but he can also threaten the backline and he can score. So I like him in that position. With the period that we've had, we've had to adapt a few things. It's nice to get that clarity [on position], but sometimes it's not possible. The players are multifaceted in terms of their qualities so they can play in a few positions. And Kai is one of those.
"I have to make the [team selection] decision based on what I think every day in training and Kai is a German International who scores goals and plays for the German national team, and looking at his goal record there, it is elite level. Whenever he's played there, he's managed to score and he's also contributed to the team."
In consecutive matches Havertz has been chosen over Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to lead Chelsea's line. The German international did little leading against Forest however. After a promising display against Bournemouth, Havertz reminded that he could also go missing when leading the line and could not provide the consistent threat required by elite forwards. Given Potter's words about Havertz's international exploits, perhaps that puts the pressure on Chelsea's coach however.
Still plenty to fix
Getting the campaign restart underway with a win over Bournemouth seemed to set Chelsea into motion. It was easy to find reason for positivity, particularly with another winnable game on the way before the stiffer task of a double-header against Manchester City.
The issues were familiar for Chelsea against Nottingham Forest. Not enough chances, and not enough good chances, while the opposition perhaps find it easier to create better ones. Not an ideal combination. The Blues recorded just two shots on target over the course of 90 minutes and could only manage five fewer shots than their hosts despite earning 73% of possession.
It's familiar territory for Chelsea this season, with the west London side finding difficulty in a hostile environment away from home. Defeats to Leeds, Southampton and Dinamo Zagreb felt similar is some facets, and Potter needs his side to find grit in addition to quality.
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