Chelsea advance in Champions League: Graham Potter turns it around against Dortmund

Chelsea advance in Champions League: Graham Potter turns it around against Dortmund

 

Chelsea moves on to the quarterfinals of the Champions League after defeating Borussia Dortmund 2-0.

 

At Stamford Bridge, you may have honestly believed for 43 minutes that Chelsea would never score again.

It could have been the well-known story of a group of men who had failed to fully honor the gods and were sentenced to pay the price for all eternity. It could have been a mysterious global corporation pulling the strings. This might have been spirited pushing the crossbar an inch lower.

 

How else to account for everything else that had brought Graham Potter to the brink of disaster, not only the misses and mishaps that punctuated the early exchanges in west London: A few examples are Reece James' inability to remain healthy for more than a few games at a time, Raheem Sterling's puzzling double miss against Southampton, Joao Felix's amazing debut ending in a puzzling red card, and more.

The Chelsea head coach was quickly disabused of the assumption that things couldn't possibly get worse in the biggest game of his career.

 

A disjointed Borussia Dortmund backline was strained to the breaking point by the presence of both James and Ben Chilwell at the wingback positions, and when the former crashed a cross at the near post, the clearance sat up invitingly for Kai Havertz. He missed the target, but it might have taken that to get past Alexander Meyer at his close post.

That's what he did, and when the ball bounced off the goalpost, it appeared certain that it would eventually cross the line. It did the exact reverse, though.

 

If that didn't succeed, Havertz only needed to leather the ball, which he did. He produced a powerful attack after Sterling's attempt was stopped, one of the best performances the Champions League winner has had while wearing a blue shirt. But then, perhaps inevitably, the linesman raised his flag. There are many important issues to ask about Havertz, not the least of which is what his best position is and whether he is truly good enough for Potter to base his entire system around. But would any response to those questions persuade you that nothing is lacking there?

 

In Havertz's defense, he consistently finds himself in situations where he can fudge his lines. So have a lot of his teammates during the post-World Cup dry spell, and this is increasing game by game. That may not seem like enough development for a team that has recently invested £600 million in new players, and nobody should mistake this Chelsea for the one that their fans have come to anticipate: a real challenger for domestic and European accolades.

 

The chances had been present. Shots worth 13.6 anticipated goals (xG) in their 10 league and European games before today resulted in four goals. In every game but one of those matches, they had matched or outperformed their opponents' xG. Finally, if you consistently set yourself for a shot inside the penalty area, nothing can go wrong for very long. So the run came to an end. It appeared that Sterling was trying to ruin it. He did, in fact. When the ball ultimately ricocheted, sat up for him, and he rifled it into the roof of the net, he first swung at fresh air, air balling on a volley, and then, after settling the ball, he rushed into Marco Reus.

 

And it was over. All of a sudden, Potter, everything was coming up. After the game, Potter spoke with CBS Sports and stated, "We've all been going through a lot of hardship, and even that is an understatement. Thus, the victory was pretty good." Chelsea's losses that could have put them in a slump were being erased, with Havertz's penalty that hit the post being called back due to encroachment by Marius Wolf. The second kick was delivered with more force. When Conor Gallagher, who was brought on as a substitute, provided an energizing surge, Sterling was flying toward the gap behind the Dortmund defense. Christian Pulisic even avoided blushing when he mishandled the ball from six yards out with only Meyer to beat.

 

At the other end, Giovanni Reyna appeared to acquire an eye for crosses that flew directly into the first man, Jude Bellingham managed to hook away from close range and lift a late header over the crossbar. Jamie Bynoe-Gittens raced the ball straight out of touch.

 

In comparison to the great first halves at the Westfalenstadion or the London Stadium, Chelsea wasn't much better today. Major issues remain over a frontline that appears to be well-stocked with supporting elements but is entirely devoid of a keystone around which to construct. This performance needs to be the norm rather than the high point if Potter hopes to win over a scathing fan base.

 

But, there have been more than enough recent games where Chelsea's best performances went unappreciated. Nobody could really gripe about tonight being their lucky night.