CHELSEA drew 1-1 with Red Bull Salzburg in Graham Potter’s first game as manager at Stamford Bridge.
Graham Potter has a lot to think about after his eye-opening start to life in the Chelsea dugout following the 1-1 draw with Red Bull Salzburg in midweek, and the new Blues boss doesn’t have much time to adjust to life at Cobham. Following the cancellation of Sunday’s Premier League match against Liverpool, his players will now depart for international duty in due course.
To get up to speed with his new group of players, Potter should spend some extra time on the practise field.

With games coming thick and fast before the World Cup, the former Brighton head coach will now get busy while he can.

A draw would hardly be a talking point at the Amex, but Potter will be eager to make an immediate impression in order to generate some much-needed momentum in west London.

Express Sport examines four major decisions for Potter to make as he looks to make his mark on the Chelsea squad…
Broja, let loose!

Armando Broja looked sharp when he came on for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang against the Austrian champions on Wednesday night, but he couldn’t convert several good chances.

Despite this, his energy and hunger were visible to all, and he was a real thorn in Salzburg’s backline during his impressive cameo.

Aubameyang has so far pretended to deceive in his first two Chelsea appearances, and there’s no reason why the Albanian shouldn’t be given more opportunities in attack.

After all, if he’s been retained by Chelsea, he deserves to play given that he could have received regular playing time elsewhere.

Broja is deserving of a chance, and he clearly wants to stake his claim for a starting spot. With Chelsea going through a period of transition, why not let the kid run free?
Havertz should be dropped.

Based on Kai Havertz’s recent performances, this appears to be a fairly straightforward decision.

If he hadn’t cost £72 million, there’s a chance he’d be on the bench at Stamford Bridge, given his inability to provide consistent contributions aside from his iconic Champions League-winning goal in Porto in 2021.

Havertz does not appear to be a natural fit for Chelsea’s system, whether they play 4-3-3 or 3-4-3, and this is cause for concern.

Thomas Tuchel has been desperate to keep him, but removing him from the starting lineup would undoubtedly relieve the pressure on his shoulders and allow the player to reset.

Potter must either find a solution for Havertz or remove him from the fray because things aren’t going well for the German international right now.

Create a structure centred on Sterling.

Raheem Sterling has thrived at left wing-back, but it is not a long-term solution for the England international.

Chelsea could have lost to Salzburg without him, and he was the only player who looked like a constant threat to the hosts.

He was dangerous every time he got the ball in an attacking sense, which is why he should not be so far away from goal at times.

Sterling, with his energy and unpredictability, deserves to play centrally or in one of the positions behind the centre-forward.

His finishing has been suspect at times this season, but he scored clinically against Salzburg. Chelsea requires more of that, as he has the potential to be a key player for the Blues this season.
Mount should be moved backwards.

Mason Mount impressed against Salzburg, but he is still not performing to his full potential.

The creative midfielder is being pushed into an inside forward role, but his passing range and technical ability are actually lacking in the centre of the field.

Mount has the ability to play as one of the two central midfielders, and Potter should consider moving him deeper.

This season, he has much more to offer Chelsea, and a minor tactical change could help unlock the best version of Mount while freeing up another position further forward for another attacker.