4 major issues Graham Potter would need to address as new Chelsea head coach
English tactician Graham Potter has officially been named as Chelsea's new manager following the dismissal of Thomas Tuchel.
Todd Boehly recently parted ways with Tuchel on Wednesday (September 7) morning, after taking charge of his 100th game as the club's manager.
The decision to sack Tuchel after just seven games into the season was one that has been greeted with a mix of reactions from fans and pundits.
However, the results on display for the Blues this season haven't been impressive enough. Also, the defeat to Dinamo Zagreb could possibly have been the final nail in the coffin for the German tactician.
Moving forward, the west London club have now found Tuchel's replacement aarrivedessor. According to SkySports, Potter arrived at the club's training facility earlier in the day to seal his contract.
The manager will now be taking a huge step into his managerial career, after previously working with Ostersund, Swansea City and Brighton & Hove Albion.
However, the job at Stamford Bridge comes with a whole lot of pressure and expectations. It's left to be seen as to whether Potter will be able to handle it as fast as they come.
A couple of issues will also need to be addressed at Chelsea now that he has been appointed. As such, this article will look at four specific issues.
#4 Tactics
One issue the English tactician will definitely have to address as Chelsea's new head coach will be how he sets up his Blues team.
The west London club have been drilled and modeled into a 3-4-3 formation by former manager Tuchel during his time at the club.
Chelsea's transfer activities this summer indicated that they may be keen to work with the back-three system as they signed a couple of defenders.
Interestingly, Potter is also a huge fan of the 3-4-3 formation as he deployed it most of the time at Brighton. He could either continue in the same set-up at Chelsea as his predecessor or reinvent his own ideas.
Potter himself plays 3-5-2, 3-4-3 and 4-2-2-2 
Things I think will not go wrong about Graham Potter:
➡️ Potter himself plays 3-5-2, 3-4-3 and 4-2-2-2
➡️He can improve players which we have seen with Brighton already.
➡️Plays young players more for high intensity games
➡️We might stop overpaying for mediocre players https://t.co/tUQXcNeDUU
Tuchel switched to a back-three set-up after taking over from Frank Lampard in 2021 and went on to achieve success with it.
#3 Defensive crisis
One key area Tuchel was able to address when he took over at Chelsea was the club's defensive irregularities. The German instantly switched to a back-three set-up to give the Blues more stability in defense.
However, the tactical switch was majorly successful during his first 50 games in charge of the Blues. His team was able to keep 37 clean sheets and conceded just 24 goals in Tuchel's first 50 games.
Thomas Tuchel’s first 50 vs. his last 50: https://t.co/2WhO7ZgJaW
His last 50 games, however, were a bit contrasting, as Chelsea only managed 18 clean sheets and conceded 53 goals. This season, the Blues have already let in 10 goals in all competitions, keeping just one clean sheet.
Chelsea also haven't been decent in regards to set pieces this season. They have been caught out by teams on a couple of occasions, notably against Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds United and West Ham United.
Potter will need to find immediate answers to the Blues' current defensive crisis in a bid to steady the ship at Stamford Bridge.
#2 Dip-in-form of key players
Another issue that Potter will need to address after securing the Chelsea job will be the sudden dip-in-form of key players.
There has been a drastic drop in performances from most first-team players at the club, which has affected the teams' results in games.
The likes of Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech, Jorginho, Kai Havertz and Edouard Mendy, but to mention a few, haven't been at their best this season.
Mendy has just one clean sheet this season while Mount is without a goal or assist in seven games. Ziyech has looked far from his best among several other underperforming players at Stamford Bridge.
Hakim Ziyech was 0% from his attempted take-ons (0/4), attempted crosses (0/9) and attempted total duels (0/5) in 45 minutes for Chelsea against Dinamo Zagreb.
🇲🇦 Hakim Ziyech was 0% from his attempted take-ons (0/4), attempted crosses (0/9) and attempted total duels (0/5) in 45 minutes for Chelsea against Dinamo Zagreb.
Poor. #UCL #CHE #CFC #DINCHE #Chelsea https://t.co/GaSfzJZGDE
It is left to be seen as to whether the arrival of Potter at Chelsea will trigger a resurgence in performances from key Blues players.
#1 Bridging the gap between academy players and first-team
Former Chelsea manager Tuchel didn't really put much faith into the academy players at Cobham during his time in charge.
Unlike Lampard, who received a lot of praise for integrating most of the club's young talents into the first-team, Tuchel failed to follow suit. Aside from Trevoh Chalobah, there weren't many academy graduates who were integrated into the first-team by the German tactician.
For Potter, there could be a need to tap into the abundance of talent at Cobham. This could help bridge the gap between the academy and the first-team.