7 things Graham Potter must fix at Chelsea during World Cup break
By Tom Gott
For Graham Potter, the fact that the world will stop caring about club football for the next month is an absolute blessing.
His Chelsea dream has quickly descended into a nightmare, with some fans calling for his head to roll after a run of four defeats in five games in all competitions heading into the World Cup. With no wins in his last five Premier League outings either, there's a whole lot that Potter needs to fix - and quick.
1. Work out his best formation
A little tactical tweak every once in a while is vital to any managerial success, but changing formation three or four times every game might be taking things a little too far.
Potter has chopped and changed things far too frequently in a team who are still trying to get used to his methods, and it's abundantly clear that the players don't know how to do their many, many jobs.
Chelsea need something settled, at least while they get to grips with Potter's way of doing things.
2. Not everybody is a wing-back
This one is a little harsh as Potter lost both his preferred full-backs - Reece James and Ben Chilwell - to injury.
That being said, when they need replacing, how about we don't go with Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic?
Deploying the two wingers in such a role was a bold strategy that didn't pay off (and then some) against Brighton, so Potter needs to take it easy on the risks for now.
3. Figure out what happened to Marc Cucurella
Marc Cucurella was supposed to be an excellent signing for Chelsea during the summer, and reuniting with Potter - the man who made Cucurella good enough to earn a £60m+ move to Stamford Bridge in the first place - felt like perfection.
The results on the pitch have been anything but.
In the similar wide centre-back role he played at Brighton, Cucurella has struggled tremendously in Chelsea blue, and he hasn't offered much on the left either. Potter needs to figure out why.
4. Work out how to maximise Raheem Sterling
The prolific Raheem Sterling joined Chelsea in the summer as the man to fix Chelsea's goalscoring woes, only to score against a Leicester side in crisis and a Southampton team slowly heading towards one.
Sterling hasn't lived up to expectations, but how much of that is down to the fact he has played in no fewer that five position since Potter joined is unclear.
The task here is to figure out why the Manchester City version of Sterling was elite and the Chelsea version has underwhelmed. It may need a tactical tweak.
5. Decide on a starting goalkeeper
Potter looks to have taken a liking to Kepa Arrizabalaga, who returned his faith with a string of excellent performances before a frustrating injury ended his World Cup hopes.
If the boss wants to stick with Kepa upon his return, that's fine. It's a decision which will likely force Edouard Mendy out the exit door, however, so Potter needs to play this one well.
Kepa's ability with the ball at his feet seems to have given him the edge, and if that's the case, so be it.
6. Find a source of creativity
Chelsea headed into the World Cup break in defensive mode as they set up to face Newcastle with a front three of Armando Broja, Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher.
The trio are all excellent in their own right - that is not for debate - but they pride themselves more on industry than end product. Their work rate against Newcastle was top notch but the reality is Mount had the fewest touches of the whole game and Chelsea were comprehensively battered at both ends of the pitch.
It looks like Potter has been trying to give 19-year-old Omari Hutchinson a chance, only to find himself unprepared to take the risk with Chelsea already struggling.
7. Get the fans back on his side
The mood around the Chelsea supporters is getting pretty toxic. Opinion was divided when Thomas Tuchel was sacked and Potter was recruited, and despite some early optimism, those detractors are out in full force these days.
The way to win them back? Positive, coherent performances. Fans obviously want wins but they want to see their team look competent in the face of adversity, not tactically unaware against Brighton and completely terrified of a Newcastle side who, with all due respect, should never be considered better than Chelsea, regardless of form.
Chelsea return to action against Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, which presents Potter with the perfect chance to inject some life back into his despondent Blues.