One of the main surprises in Graham Potter's first ever Chelsea starting XI was that he left out defender Kalidou Koulibaly. For the 1-1 draw against RB Salzburg, Potter's first as Blues boss, he opted for a back three consisting of Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva and Marc Cucurella.
Despite starting in every other one of Chelsea's games so far this season (except the win over Leicester City, for which he was suspended) the 31-year-old was an unused substitute against Salzburg. With the likes of Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah also vying for a spot in the back three, there is plenty of competition in the Chelsea backline.
With Potter's first two scheduled Premier League games as Chelsea manager postponed, it will never be known if Koulibaly would have started either of the clashes against Fulham or Liverpool had they gone ahead. However, the Senegal international has admitted that he will have to impress Potter in training over the coming weeks if he is to get a regular spot in his XI.
