Chelsea fans were warned about Graham Potter's consistent ability to confuse spectators following the announcement of a team lineup. Where is he playing? What is the formation? Would be regular cries amongst those watching on from the AMEX Stadium as the 47-year-old used players in a variety of intriguing ways.
When 7 PM struck on Wednesday night, the Chelsea faithful got their first hour of guessing, not aided by the guarded responses of Potter pre-match to BT Sport: "I won't give too much away to keep people guessing."
It was not long until the guessing stopped and we got to see the first test of Potter's Chelsea. There was a quicker tempo, a new position for Raheem Sterling and some risk in possession.
READ MORE: What Graham Potter did following Raheem Sterling goal as Chelsea give Thomas Tuchel final thanks
Let's start off with some numbers.
There is little shock that Potter is already turning Chelsea into the xG kings as he did on the South Coast, via Wyscout, Chelsea's expected goals of 2.16 is the highest of the season so far, with the closest coming against Spurs on the second weekend. It was also the highest number of shots taken by Chelsea in their opening eight games (17), with the second most on target (5) only behind the opening day win at Everton.
It was the highest share of possession this season with 72.16 per cent. The highest number of ball losses likely reflects more risk in possession.
Although there was some deliberation over the formation, Potter confirmed what it was post-game. "It was a back three as far as I was concerned with Reece and Raheem giving us the width. Salzburg are very strong in the middle with their 4-3-1-2, so it's not easy to play through the middle of the pitch. We wanted to get some dangerous width, and Reece and Raheem were that.
"They were more full-backs in the lateral positions and then midfield players. I thought we got Raheem into some good situations and Reece as well down that side".
Potter stuck with the usual three-back setup that Tuchel adopted. Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva and Marc Cucurella filled the spots. Cucurella was the more advanced of the wider defenders and had more ground to cover in part because of Sterling's advanced role. Jorginho sat in front, with Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount as two eights. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Kai Havertz were the two strikers but Havertz certainly started a bit deeper.
Sterling's role out wide certainly paid dividends for Chelsea, getting one of their most threatening attackers into dangerous areas, the sort he so regularly profited from at the Etihad.
"You have to organise around that as you don't want Raheem really defending in his box too often, and I don't think he did" Potter said when asked if his change came with risk. "I think Marc Cucurella managed the situation quite well. I can't remember too many opportunities they had down that side.
"Whatever you do, there's always a plus and a minus, but we were at home, and we wanted to be on the front foot and get some attacking ideas in those positions. Raheem is really good at attacking a backline and scored a fantastic goal. I thought he was really good in the game. Reece balances it off a little bit, and we can still defend in a four if we need to, so that was the thinking."
The 27-year-old has mainly been used as an inside forward, or striker in the opening months of his Chelsea career, Potter's choice helped isolate Salzburg's back four and gave his team good width as demonstrated in the opening goal.
Another noticeable change on Wednesday was the risk Chelsea took in possession, particularly in looking for more direct passes into Aubameyang, something they were guilty of not attempting under Thomas Tuchel. Although neither pass resulted in a memorable moment, they did showcase the bravery in possession Potter wants to see his team attempt.
There was variation in the way the Blues moved forward, sometimes switching play, sometimes being more patient, other times looking to spring a counter-attack from the gloves of Kepa Arrizabalaga, as Armando Broja's pace enabled as Chelsea chased a late winner.
From a tactical point of view, this was an early sign of some of the positive things Potter will attempt to implement in the coming weeks and months. Although there will be general frustration with the poor way Chelsea conceded their lead to Noah Okafor's messy finish in the final 15 minutes, it would be hard to argue there were no signs of encouragement against Salzburg with some new ideas.
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