Graham Potter used one of his former players to get the best out of Raheem Sterling against Salzburg.
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Potter’s tactical change worked with Sterling.
Graham Potter demonstrated early signs of tactical flexibility against RB Salzburg. The former Brighton manager was tasked with getting a better tune from his new Chelsea players and went about things similarly, yet still differently, to Thomas Tuchel.
Although it is far too soon to judge or even predict what Potter may envision Chelsea to be or to become, his use of key players showed signs of balance and change that was missing in the final weeks of Tuchel’s reign.
A quicker pace of football was expected, and in parts, that was evident as Chelsea moved through the gears but fell to similar final third issues once more.
It’s not the type of thing that Potter is able to fix in one week, even less so the space of one match, even with more time available due to fixture cancellations.
The opening goal came from a tactical change that Potter had made before the game, though, and it’s something that will make him happy to see small fruits of change.
With Marc Cucurella in the side, there was already a player used to the 47-year-old’s coaching methods, and with a tactical set-up that was reminiscent of Brighton’s most commonly seen shape, it shows the benefits of the early changes.
It was Potter that championed and helped to develop Cucurella in this first year in England, seeing the 24-year-old’s talents as a wingback, fullback and centre-back, and he made use of all those skills at Stamford Bridge.
Deciphering a single formation would be tough, but on the whole, it appeared to take the form of a 3-5-2 with the Spaniard as a left-sided centre-back and Jorginho sitting at the base of a midfield three with Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic given more freedom in central midfield.
That would be unfair to Cucurella’s overall involvement, though, his consistent movement up and down the left flank saw him act in all three defensive roles and demonstrate early signs of a promising relationship with Raheem Sterling.
The Englishman’s early Chelsea career had been spent largely in a more unfamiliar false nine and wide No.10 role, he has still scored goals, as he does, but Potter’s first move was evidently to spread the pitch and play to Sterling’s natural winger strengths.
Less involved in the game than normal, Sterling was patient with his positioning and finally got the reward, being on the receiving end of a swift counter-attack that made his toils worth the wait.
His total of 54 touches demonstrated that it wasn’t about constant involvement but finding the right areas to be in when the chance came.
It’s a move that Peter Crouch was a fan of, praising his tactical decisions before the game, saying, “What I like about Graham Potter is if he doesn’t like something, he will change it. Some managers have that much pride they won’t say they’ve got it wrong.
“I remember the Fulham game they [Brighton] played three at the back, they had loads of joy, and he changed it straight away. I think he trusts the players, very experienced. They’re going to have to get used to changing systems during the game.”
Sterling has had the advice to stay high and wide before, with it being a mantra of Pep Guardiola, but the choice to use Cucurella as a left-sided decoy, creating more space for Sterling to roam, was a key part of the goal being formed.
