4 things Graham Potter got spot on as Chelsea cruise to victory over Bournemouth

  • Bookmark

    • For the latest from the pitch sign up for our football newsletter

    We have more newsletters

    Chelsea are back – and back to winning ways following their 2-0 win over Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge.

    First half goals from Kai Havertz and Mason Mount made the difference as the Blues registered their first Premier League win since mid-October.

    Graham Potter had plenty of time to prepare for tonight's game, and aside from a troubling Reece James injury scare, everything pretty much seemed to go to plan. Here, Daily Star Sport runs through the four things we feel Potter got right.

    READ MORE: Chelsea 'prepare to launch Joao Felix loan offer' in bargain move for £100m star

    Havertz over Aubameyang

    Kai Havertz had a pretty good World Cup, even though Germany didn't, so picking him to start up front might have felt like a bit of no-brainer.

    But Potter has spent much of the international break working closely with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and could've very easily given the veteran striker the nod instead.

    It took a quarter-of-an hour for Potter's decision to pay dividends, with Havertz latching on to Raheem Sterling's low cross to poke the ball under Cherries goalkeeper Mark Travers and give Chelsea an early lead. He also set up Mason Mount for Chelsea's second goal, albeit with a simple two-yard lay-off.

    What did you make of Chelsea's performance tonight? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

    Four at the back

    Potter hasn't exactly been wedded to one formation since arriving at Chelsea but he opted for a back four rather than their usual back five tonight.

    The Blues have had mixed results with the system this season and given their recent defensive troubles, playing a back five would've been a lot safer, but Potter was more than happy to gamble.

    The extra man in midfield allowed to them to dominate possession and generate plenty of attacking overloads, particularly with Reece James and Marc Cucurella bombing forward on the overlap.

    Trusting Zakaria

    With N'Golo Kante out injured and Mateo Kovacic yet to return from his break after the World Cup, Potter wasn't exactly blessed with options in the middle of the park.

    But his decision to start Denis Zakaria, who's barely kicked a ball since his deadline day loan move from Juventus, was a smart one.

    The Switzerland international was a commanding physical presence defensively, and linked midfield with attacking with plenty of precise passes, and was given a well-deserved standing ovation when he was subbed off in the second half.

    Intense pressing

    Chelsea haven't always been relentless pressers but tonight they harried Bournemouth like wasps around an unguarded glass of Fanta at the back of a pub garden.

    Their intensity set the tone for the match, with Bournemouth's players regularly panicking on the ball and surrendering possession with misplaced passes.

    It didn't last for 90 minutes, but by the time the game settled down Chelsea were two goals to the good.

    READ NEXT:

    • Avram Grant gets first job since being accused of 'stripping naked in front of women'

    • John Terry responds after Sergio Aguero becomes 'full kit w****r' at World Cup final

    • Gianluca Vialli's condition 'worsens' as mum rushes to hospital to see Chelsea legend

    • Chelsea FC
    • Premier League
    • Bournemouth FC
    • Graham Potter

    Source: Read Full Article