sport news Graham Potter's return to a back three in Leeds win will bring back happy ... trends now
It would have been easy to scoff when Graham Potter spoke of ‘a feeling that it’s close’ at Chelsea before the visit of Leeds.
The Blues have hugely underachieved this season and that has denied Potter and his players the benefit of the doubt.
Chelsea’s ongoing struggle for goals, Potter’s safety-first substitutions as he looked to see out a precious win and the fact the home side were clinging on against the Premier League’s fourth-bottom side may be hard for their critics to overlook.
But in the context of what Chelsea and Potter have been through lately, there were some green shoots attempting to poke through against Leeds as the manager battles to prove he can turn this situation around.
They were evident in Chelsea’s set-up, parts of the performance and then their resilience in what was a high-stakes situation for Potter and his players.
Graham Potter relieved the mounting pressure on himself as Chelsea beat Leeds on Saturday
Wesley Fofana (left facing front) scored the only goal of the game as Chelsea got back to winning ways
Potter (middle) made a series of substitutions to help Chelsea hold on against Leeds
For the first of two games expected to be pivotal to the manager’s future, Potter reverted to a back three against Leeds.
It is a set-up that will bring back happy memories of recent success under Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel, but it is one Potter had tried before in his Chelsea reign without the same instant results.
On this occasion he had more of the required pieces in place. A left-footed centre back to provide balance in Benoit Badiashile and another quick defender in Wesley Fofana, either side of an experienced central defender in Kalidou Koulibaly.
Potter also had at least one of his first-choice wing-backs, who are crucial to this system, in Ben Chilwell. Then there were two mobile central midfielders in Enzo Fernandez and Mateo Kovacic, behind a fluid front three that had the qualities to pose a threat.
Chelsea’s first half-hour in particular was encouraging. They pinned Leeds back and created enough chances to have enjoyed a more comfortable afternoon than it turned out to be.
Here was something to persist with. And here was a Chelsea side which, unlike at various points this season, did not look as if it needed much more — yes, even more — in order to improve the team Potter can send out. That is the least that should be expected after a near £600million spent on new players this season.
Three upgrades are already in the building in Thiago Silva, Reece James and N’Golo Kante, who missed Saturday’s game at Stamford Bridge due to injury but can all make a difference.
‘It would be beneficial to stick with a formation,’ said Potter. ‘It has not been straightforward because we have had people injured regularly which has made it hard to
