Chelsea will welcome RB Salzburg to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday in what will be a very interesting match.
The Blues currently sit bottom of the Champions League Group E after losing their first game. This game serves as a must-win game, to lay down a marker that what happened against Dynamo Zagreb was a blip and nothing more. More importantly, it would serve as Graham Potter’s first test as CFC manager. Potter will be under a lot of scrutiny from fans and rivals alike, especially with the manner in which Thomas Tuchel was sacked. Here’s who we think starts for The Blues in this one:
Kepa Arrizabalaga (No. 1) Goalkeeper, Spain
The Spaniard starts again because Edouard Mendy is probably still injured. Talks about a new contract for Mendy have been met with mixed reactions by the fans. Mendy is said to have turned down a contract offer already, which would not be surprising if the offer is close to the one he’s currently on, considering that he’s currently one of Chelsea’s lowest-paid players. Arrizabalaga, though, has an opportunity to try and impress the new manager now that he has the chance.
Kalidou Koulibaly (No. 26) Left centerback, Senegal
Koulibaly will play against Salzburg. Potter will still be accessing the squad, but for now, he’s going to generally play those who have been playing. Koulibaly should know that he’s being accessed freshly by Potter so he cannot afford to make any of the mistakes he’s been making up until this point.
Thiago Silva (No. 6) Centerback, Brazil
There’s a feeling that Silva may not play that much under Potter, but only because of his age. For now, his age is not a problem because his last match was last week Saturday. This means that he has had a week and a half to rest. He should be raring to go.
Wesley Fofana (No. 33) Right centerback, France
Fofana had an embarrassing moment against Zagreb, but that will happen from time to time. He just needs to make sure that it doesn’t become a habit.
Reece James (No. 24) Right wingback, England
If reports are to be believed, James is now one of Chelsea’s highest earners, which is deserved. The Blues still need someone to back him up in that right wingback spot, and no, I’m not talking about Ruben Loftus-Cheek. James is one CFC’s main sources of high-quality chances.
Mateo Kovacic (No. 8) Central midfielder, Croatia
Kovacic seems like he’d be a key player for Graham Potter, because of his superb dribbling and passing. Kovacic created eight big chances last season in the league, with the highest creator creating 10. Kovacic will help Chelsea control the midfield.
Jorginho (No. 5) Central midfielder, Italy
As much as Jorginho hasn’t been in good form this season, he’s the best option that Chelsea has in the midfield. Jorginho isn’t a great tackler but he’s decent at it and he ticks several boxes required to play the role. He and Kovacic in the pivot would be make the pivot balanced, and that’s how the Blues will be able to dominate Salzburg.
Marc Cucurella (No. 32) Left wingback, Spain
It’s only safe to assume that Potter will be biased towards his former player. In fact, no one knows if Cucurella was hired with Potter in mind. It’s left to Cucurella to justify the selection. A glaring strength the Spaniard is his distribution and tackling. He already has two assists for the Blues from corners this season.
Mason Mount (No. 19) Central attacking midfielder, England
Mount has not been in good form this season but it’s a clean slate for him now, just as it is for every other player at the club. His ball carrying is very good and Potter would value that, as much as his crossing ability. The truth is that who Potter selects in this game is not as important as who he continues to select after this game. If he wants to hand out playing time by merit, he has to make sure that poor performances aren’t repeatedly rewarded. The onus is on Mount to show that he should be starting if given the opportunity.
Raheem Sterling (No. 17) Right forward, England
Sterling has been Chelsea’s best attacker this season. He has built his reputation on being the one who runs off the ball to receive chances, but out of necessity at CFC, he has also stepped into the role of chief creator, which is a credit to him. He would be key to how Potter plays no doubt, because of his tactical intelligence and versatility. Sterling has scored more goals than any other player this season for the Blues (three) and has created more big chances (three) than anyone else in the league for the west Londoners. This shows how crucial Sterling already is for the west London team.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (No. 9) Left forward, Gabon
Aubameyang can take advantage of Sterling’s presence on the field. He can move into spaces vacated by defenders that are tracking Sterling’s movement. He can also use his own movement to draw players away from Sterling. The Gabon international has been of the best strikers in world football for the past six-seven years. He knows what he’s doing in front of goal, especially when you consider his form at his former club FC Barcelona.
‘Auba’ scored 11 goals in 17 games just last season, so he is still prolific. Aubameyang would be the latest striker in a long line of strikers that have come to the club in the past five years. The rest of them have been blamed for not being able to adapt to the Premier League. Aubameyang will suffer the same fate as them if he runs into the same problem they did: a lack of quality chances being created for them consistently.