Ben Stewart
The numbers behind Graham Potter’s first five wins with Chelsea
Certain sections of the Chelsea fanbase may have been sceptical when Graham Potter was named as Thomas Tuchel’s replacement.
Those concerns have been somewhat extinguished by the Englishman’s excellent start to life at Stamford Bridge.
Potter arrived at Chelsea following a remarkable 14 year rise though the footballing pyramid.
The former left-back started out by managing in the Northern Counties East Football League Division One back in 2008. After impressing with Leeds Carnegie, Potter then moved to Sweden where he embarked on a Hollywood-esque journey with Ostersunds.
The manager took the side from the lows of the Swedish fourth division all the way to the top tier. If that wasn’t enough, he qualified for the Europa League and even took on Premier League heavyweights Arsenal.
Potter returned to England in 2018 and has since worked with Swansea and Brighton.
His continued successes have now earned him an opportunity with one of the world’s biggest clubs, and as things stand, it’s fair to say Potter has taken that opportunity with both hands.
After drawing 1-1 with Salzburg in his first outing, the new manager has overseen five straight victories – two of those against AC Milan.
Here, we take a closer look at the stats behind Potter’s first five wins as Chelsea manager.
Crystal Palace 1-2 Chelsea
Potter’s first Premier League match with the Blues came away at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace.
Despite the derby atmosphere, it was the visitors who controlled proceedings with 64% possession and 89% pass accuracy.
Chelsea also enjoyed the majority of goal attempts, though only three were on target.
Odsonne Edouard opened the scoring as the hosts took a 1-0 lead inside the opening seven minutes. Though an equaliser from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and 90th minute winner from Conor Gallagher sealed the win for Potter’s side.
Mateo Kovacic was arguably the most forward-thinking player on the field with 10 progressive passes to his name. Raheem Sterling, on the other hand, had the highest xG with 0.5.
Chelsea 3-0 AC Milan (Champions League)
Following a stuttering start to their Champions League campaign, Chelsea needed to turn on the style against Milan.
Thankfully for the Blues faithful, that was exactly what Potter’s men delivered on a memorable night at Stamford Bridge.
Goals from Wesley Fofana, Aubameyang and Reece James powered Chelsea towards their first European win of the season.
The Blues were far more clinical than against Palace, finding the target with 60% of their shots.
Five of Chelsea’s 10 shots in that game interestingly came from defenders Thiago Silva and Fofana.
Nevertheless, it was James who attracted most of the action, completing 63 of his 77 passes and producing nine progressive carries – more than anyone on the team. The England international also completed the most dribbles with three.
Chelsea 3-0 Wolves
Chelsea once again showed their dominance after posting 20 shots, 57% possession and scoring three goals at Stamford Bridge.
Christian Pulisic, who was out of favour with Tuchel at the helm, enjoyed a particularly strong game.
The American came up with four shots and made 11 progressive carries – two more than the next best player.
Jorginho and Cesar Azpilicueta also posted impressive numbers, producing a combined total of 20 progressive passes.
Havertz, Pulisic and Armando Broja were the goalscorers as Potter made it three wins from three.
AC Milan 0-2 Chelsea (Champions League)
Chelsea may have been away from home, though they certainly felt comfortable as they posted 70% possession at the San Siro.
To add to that impressive number, their passing accuracy was at a massive 92% - a huge advantage over Milan who could only manage 77%.
Chelsea were less accurate when it came to their attempts on goal. Only three of their 14 shots were on target, though that didn’t stop them from scoring two goals – courtesy of Jorginho and Aubameyang.
Aston Villa 0-2 Chelsea
The Blues were far from their best at Villa Park, though that didn’t stop them from once again dominating the stats.
Mason Mount ended his recent goal drought by scoring a brace in front of England manager Gareth Southgate as Chelsea won 2-0.
Potter’s men had 59% of the ball and an 86% pass accuracy. Nevertheless, it was Villa who had more shots on target with seven – three more than Chelsea.
Defensive stability was crucial and two men who stepped up to the mark were Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mateo Kovacic.
The English man produced five tackles, pressed the opposition 17 times, and made five interceptions.
His Croatian teammate posted similar numbers as the Blues kept Villa scoreless.
