Potter's big call pays off
With Benoit Badiashile and Noni Madueke not registered to represent Chelsea in the knockout stage of the Champions League, changes to the starting XI were always going to be required. The biggest Graham Potter faced ahead of the clash against Borussia Dortmund was who would replace Badiashile in the defence.
The Frenchman has impressed since stepping into the backline last month and has formed a strong relationship with Thiago Silva. Yet the decision was taken to leave him out of the squad in favour of selecting club-record signing Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Joao Felix.
Potter opted to bring Kalidou Koulibaly – who missed the weekend draw with West Ham United due to illness – back into the team. It was a bold call given the Senegal international has largely struggled since arriving at Stamford Bridge in the summer window from Napoli.
READ MORE: Every word Graham Potter said on Chelsea positives, Adeyemi goal, Chilwell knock, missed chances
The show of faith paid off, however. Koulibaly was assured on the ball in his own half and there were a couple of neat passes into the final third that sparked Chelsea attacks. Defensively he was solid too – and certainly had no part in the Karim Adeyemi goal that proved Dortmund's winner.
Whether Koulibaly remains in the side against Southampton on Saturday is a decision Potter must make. It's not an easy one with Badiashile available for the fixture and far fresher. Although perhaps the game at Stamford Bridge provides an opportunity to rest 38-year-old Thiago Silva who has remarkably played more minutes than any other Chelsea player this season.
An injury concern and a second leg blow
Last night – and for the first time since early November – Ben Chilwell was back in the Chelsea starting XI. It's been a long process for the England international to overcome the hamstring injury sustained in the Blues' final Champions League group game and he added a different dimension to Potter's side.
Chilwell's passing was largely positive and he wasn't afraid to step up into the final third. That he didn't complete the 90 minutes was no surprise given it was only his third outing after a three-month injury lay-off, but there was concern that the full-back appeared to be stretching out his right leg before being taken off.
Fortunately, Potter allied any fears in his post-match press conference. “About five minutes before he came off, he had a run down the side and had a kick on his ankle," the Chelsea head coach told football.london. "I haven’t checked it over but I think it’s more a kick than anything else and probably a little bit of fatigue.
Chilwell's minutes have to be managed carefully – and it would be a surprise to see him in the starting XI against Southampton. He should keep his place for the second leg against Dortmund in three weeks' time but there will be a high-profile absence from the squad.
Mason Mount went into last night's game one yellow card away from a suspension. He didn't start but was introduced with 19 minutes to play and was booked soon after for his part in a touchline confrontation. He will be absent from the second leg at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea still require lucky generals
Throughout his tenure as Chelsea head coach, Thomas Tuchel spoke about the influence luck has in deciding results. There were instances when it went in his side's favour – such as the victory over Leicester City in August – and many occasions when it deserted the Blues.
“You need to be feeling confident and also having luck," the German explained in September in what proved to be one of his last press conferences as Chelsea head coach. "Somebody sent me an interesting quote about Napoleon, who asked that his generals not only have the best quality, but also be lucky."
The defeat to Liverpool in last season's Carabao Cup final remains a prime example of Chelsea's misfortune. As does the heroic but ultimately futile comeback against Real Madrid in the Champions League at the Bernabeu. Both those results could have been very different had Chelsea enjoyed a little more luck. That was also the case against Dortmund last night.
With a little more good fortune, Joao Felix's first-half effort clips the underside of the crossbar and nestles in the net. Instead, it rebounded into the grateful arms of Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. And in the second period, instead of Koulibaly's shot being hacked clear off the goal-line with millimeters to spare, the ball trickles over and Chelsea have their deserved goal.
Fernandez also came close in the dying moments. The Argentine whipped a shot from the edge of the box toward the far corner and had already set off to celebrate before Kobel managed to push the ball wide. That he fell to the floor highlighted his disappointment.
“Overall we were pleased with the performance for big parts of the game," said Potter in his post-match press conference. "It's complicated away from him in the Champions League, in a hostile environment, against a team that is in a good moment. So I thought it was an even first half, managed the game quite well, had some chances to counter, and hit the bar.
"Second half, apart from the one decisive action where we didn’t do well enough, we were the dominant team and created some good chances. With a little bit of luck and final execution, we would have got the deserved goal. It is what it is, we just have to keep going. It’s halftime, it’s a tight game, and we’ll look forward to Stamford Bridge.”
Potter hasn't enjoyed too much luck since replacing Tuchel at the helm in September. He and his players will need some if Chelsea are to overhaul their first-leg deficit and make it through to the quarter-final stage of the Champions League once again.
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