Graham Potter was left really impressed by the performance of Raheem Sterling yesterday for Chelsea against Red Bull Salzburg.
Chelsea are now playing catch up in the Champions League group stages after another underwhelming result on the European stage this season.
The Blues kickstarted their group last week with a 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb, which turned out to be Thomas Tuchel’s final game as manager before his sacking.
New head coach, Potter, took charge for the first time on Wednesday night in the 1-1 draw against Salzburg.
Chelsea now sit bottom of Group E going into a double header with leaders AC Milan, so qualification for the knockout rounds has become increasingly difficult.
Potter impressed by Sterling
Chelsea’s boss gave a special mention to Sterling in his post-match press conference last night:
“Raheem is really good at attacking a backline and scored a fantastic goal. I thought he was really good in the game,” Potter said.
Sterling, who was playing in a new role during Potter’s first game in charge, was as influential as ever.
The 27-year-old scored his team’s goal with a trademark finessed finish into the corner. He saw plenty of possession and attacked directly, too.
He was a left-wing-back on paper, but the reality is he played very high up the pitch like a winger.
Joe Cole says he was “outstanding” for Chelsea in the draw with Salzburg.
There were some differences to the way Chelsea played during Potter’s first game, but it was the same few individuals that impressed most.
Sterling, Reece James and Mateo Kovacic were some of the outstanding players wearing blue in midweek.
If fit, the trio should be among the first names on the team sheet.
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