Player ratings : Chelsea start Graham Potter era with a 1-1 draw against RB Salzburg

Graham Potter’s first game in charge of Chelsea ended in disappointment as the Blues were held to a 1-1 draw against RB Salzburg at Stamford Bridge. A well taken goal from Raheem Sterling was cancelled out, after some poor defending allowed Okafor to equalise late on. Chelsea now sit bottom of their Champions League group with two games played.

Kepa Arrizabalaga- 6/10

A rare start for Kepa due to an injury to Mendy and the Spanish shot-stopper produced a relatively solid performance. Some good distribution and a very smart save to keep out a curling strike from Šeško. Perhaps could have done a bit better for Salzburg’s equaliser, but a deflection off Azpilicueta made it difficult for Kepa.

Reece James- 7/10

Playing as a winger more often than a fullback, James produced a moment of magic to beat his man in the setup for Chelsea’s first goal of the Potter era. The Englishman put in some solid defensive work when tracking back, but was a bit wasteful with his crosses, and missed a good chance late on, skying his shot over the bar.

Thiago Silva- 7/10

A near flawless performance by Thiago Silva let down by a big error that led to Salzburg’s equaliser. The Brazilian dived in to win the ball but failed to clear his lines, allowing Adamu to play in a free cross which was diverted into the net. Before the error, Silva displayed a range of passing and some perfect tackling.

César Azpilicueta- 5/10

Chelsea’s club captain started at centre-back for the first game under Potter’s management, putting in a mixed performance. Despite some good passing, Azpilicueta’s weaknesses are becoming more clear each week as he gets older. His lack of pace proved costly, as he failed to close down Okafor when the ball was crossed into him, allowing the Swiss forward to equalise for Salzburg.

Marc Cucurella- 6/10

Potter and Cucurella have been reunited at Chelsea, after both left Brighton for the Blues this summer, and the Spanish defender featured in the new bosses first lineup as a left sided defender in a back three. Cucurella was not really tested defensively, but struggled to have any impact going forward.

Jorginho- 6/10

A solid performance from Jorginho, who played at the base of a midfield three. Some strong passing on display, but sometimes, as is often the case with Jorginho, he is too slow moving the ball forward, killing attacking momentum.

Mateo Kovačić- 6/10

The Croatian did well defensively whilst struggling to have an impact going forward. He made multiple good recovery tackles, but couldn’t have an impact progressing play. It does seem that he could still be nursing an injury picked up at the start of the season, hence why he was subbed off early in the second half.

Mason Mount- 7/10

Arguably Mount’s best performance so far in what has been a disappointing start to the season for the midfielder. Playing in a slightly deeper role Mount contributed well defensively, as well as progressing the ball well. It was his cross that, with the assistance of some poor defending, found Sterling for Chelsea’s opener.

Kai Havertz- 4/10

New manager, same problems for Kai Havertz who really hasn’t found his groove for Chelsea this season. The German was wasteful with the ball and looked to pose no threat at all to Salzburg’s goal. Hopefully, Potter will be able to figure out what is going wrong for the young talent this season.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang- 5/10

Some good forward movement from Aubameyang today, but Chelsea’s new striker looked tentative in front of goal. Perhaps there are some nerves for Aubemyang since joining Chelsea, but for someone who has such a prolific goal scoring record, there seems to be a lack of conviction when he strikes the ball.

Raheem Sterling- 7/10

Once again Sterling was Chelsea’s best attacker on the pitch by a good margin. The direct nature of his runs creates chances. He was wasteful with the ball in the first half, but he put a stop to that early in the second 45, with a fantastically taken goal, the first of the Potter era, curling a shot past the keeper into the bottom right corner of the goal.

Subs

Armando Broja- 5/10

A short cameo for Broja, but he will be disappointed not to have got on the scoresheet with a big chance missed late on. He does look like a man with something to prove, however, chasing down the ball and driving straight towards goal when he has the chance. He deserves the opportunity to start over other attackers who have been poor this season.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek- 6/10

If Loftus-Cheek had been only a couple inches further forward when he was cynically brought down by a Salzburg defender just outside the box, Chelsea’s performance may have been looked at a lot more positively today. With only 30 minutes on the pitch, the Englishman was solid, but struggled to have any real impact going forward.

Hakim Ziyech- 2/10

Normally I wouldn’t give a rating to someone who played barely 10 minutes in the game. But for this performance, once again, Ziyech was shocking. The Moroccan managed to give the ball away seven times in the small amount of time he was on the pitch. Hitting the first man from corners, dribbling that leads to nothing, and a relatively simple chance missed.

Connor Gallagher- N/A

Christian Pulisic- N/A

Graham Potter- 6/10

A disappointing result for Potter in his first game in charge of the Blues. The performance may have deserved a win, but ultimately the decision to start Azpilicueta over the likes of Fofana and Koulibaly looks to have cost the Blues today. Certainly some positives to be taken from the game, but things are starting to look concerning in what should have been a straightforward Champions League group for Chelsea.

Twitter- @Kieranroy1