Graham Potter has revealed he has never even attended a Champions League match ahead of taking charge of Chelsea for the first time.
Potter’s Chelsea debut will also double as his Champions League bow, when the Blues host RB Salzburg at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
And the 47-year-old admitted the closest he has come to Europe’s top-tier club competition until now has been to watch the action on TV.
Potter branded his switch from Brighton to Chelsea last week as a “whirlwind”, as the English coach replaced Thomas Tuchel at the Stamford Bridge helm.
New Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali opted to unseat Tuchel after a 100-day review of their embryonic Blues tenure, with Potter handed a five-year contract and staunch, long-term backing.
Potter admitted the opportunity was too compelling to pass up, with the Solihull-born coach impressed by Chelsea’s new owners.
Asked if he had even attended a Champions League match before, Potter replied: “Off the top of my head, I don’t think I have. But it’s a good time for me to get into the dugout.
“My experiences in the Champions League are just at supporter level.
“But obviously I’ve experienced the Europa League with Ostersund, winning at Galatasaray and getting through the group stage.
“Wherever we would start it would be a heck of an introduction, wherever we start it’s going to be brilliant, so why not start here?
“You have to look at the tradition, the quality, size and ambition of the club here. It’s a completely different challenge from the one I had at Brighton.
“I had three fantastic years there, but I’m very thankful to the owners here for putting their trust in me.”
Chelsea sacked Tuchel on Wednesday last week, the morning after a chastening 1-0 Champions League loss at Dinamo Zagreb.
Dinamo Zagreb v Chelsea player ratings
-
DINAMO ZAGREB PLAYER RATINGS: Dominik Livakovic 7/10: Will be happy with his clean sheet. Made a double save to keep the visitors at bay and did the basics well. Good showing. AP -
Stefan Ristovski 6: Did what was required. Probably slipped under the radar, but did his job well and made no obvious errors during the game. EPA -
Josip Sutalo 8: Looked very comfortable on the ball and won the majority of his duels. Another impressive defender for Zagreb on the night, with Sutalo putting Chelsea’s backline to shame. AFP -
Dino Peric 7: Very solid, making a number of crucial blocks and challenges. Played his part in a resolute defensive performance from the hosts. AFP -
Josip Misic 7: Did well and managed to find a Zagreb shirt consistently, with his short-range passes often starting attacks for the hosts. AFP -
Sadegh Moharrami 5: Looked a little suspect defensively. Enjoyed plenty of space higher up the pitch in the first-half, but did not enjoy having Havertz running at him. Getty -
Luka Ivanusec 6: Did not put a foot wrong but was also fairly anonymous. Looked a tidy player on occasion. AP -
Arijan Ademi 7: Drove the hosts forward and led his team well. Will be thrilled that he captained the hosts to such a memorable win. AP -
Robert Ljubicic 8: Had the better of Reece James for the majority of the night, which is no mean feat. Consistently buzzed around and looked a threat. AFP -
Bruno Petkovic 9: Chelsea’s centre-halves could not deal with the target-man at all. Won his aerial duels, especially against Koulibaly, and won the flick-on which led to the winner. Fantastic, classic target-man showing from Petkovic. AFP -
Mislav Orsic 8: Linked up very well with Petkovic and Chelsea’s defence struggled to keep him quiet. Took his goal well and consistently threatened to add to his tally. AFP -
SUBS: Rasmus Lauritsen (Moharrami 76’) 6: Slotted in nicely as he helped Zagreb restrict Chelsea to limited chances. EPA -
Dario Spikic (Orsic 77’) 6: Added fresh legs to the encounter to help Zagreb secure the win. EPA -
Martin Baturina (Ademi 89’) N/A: Did not have enough time to stamp his authority on the game, but helped the hosts hold on. AFP -
Josip Drmic (Petkovic 90’+8) N/A: Came on in the dying embers of the game and saw Zagreb over the line. AFP -
CHELSEA RATINGS: Kepa Arrizabalaga 7: Made a world-class save to deny Zagreb a second just before the hour-mark as he tipped a goal-bound effort onto the bar. Could not have done much for the goal, though possibly should have waited longer before racing out. A decent showing by the Spaniard. AP -
Cesar Azpilicueta 4: Struggled throughout the first-half and looked like he could not adapt to the pace of the game. Looks too slow and was exploited many times by the Dinamo forwards. Subbed at half-time as Chelsea changed shape. AFP -
Wesley Fofana 4: Brushed aside too easily by Orsic, with the defender looking like he was running through treacle. Gave the ball away too easily and did not bring any composure to the Chelsea defence. EPA -
Kalidou Koulibaly 4: His missed header led to the flick-on that saw Orsic break the deadlock. Struggled to deal with Petkovic who outmuscled and outcompeted Koulibaly on many occasions - especially in the first-half. AP -
Reece James 6: A steady showing from the Chelsea full-back. Almost dragged them level, but saw his effort cannon off the post. Cut a frustrated figure at times. AFP -
Mason Mount 3: Has endured a difficult start to the season and that continued, with the midfielder struggling to impress. Bypassed far too much by the Zagreb midfielders and was too predictable when going forward. His form will be a major concern for Thomas Tuchel. Getty -
Mateo Kovacic 8: On his return to Zagreb, Kovacic looked head and shoulders above his teammates. Consistently won the ball back, showcased by his 100 per cent tackles won percentage in the first-half, and constantly looked to get on the ball to drive the visitors forward. His passing accuracy was a big positive, considering his midfield counterparts were struggling to find a teammate consistently. AFP -
Ben Chilwell 7: Made a number of dangerous runs that left space for Sterling to take up, but he could not be a consistent threat. Did his defensive duties well and tried to push Chelsea forward, on what was a frustrating evening for the Blues. Getty -
Kai Havertz 5: Did look lively in the first-half, but faded as the game went on. Did not look threatening enough and was dealt with well by the Zagreb defence. Another Chelsea player struggling to find his top level. AFP -
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 4: Should have shot when presented with a chance twice in the first-half, but opted to pass instead. Linked up well with the midfield, but did not do enough to get himself on the scoresheet. Early days at Chelsea for the 33-year-old. AP -
Raheem Sterling 3: For a player who can be devastating on his day, Sterling was near enough anonymous before being subbed off. Sloppy on the ball and wasteful in good positions, it was an evening to forget for the forward who was well below his usual high standards. AFP -
SUBS: Hakim Ziyech (Azpilicueta 45’) 3: Came on at half-time as Tuchel changed shape, but it did not pay off. Ziyech was sloppy on the ball and his body language showcased a player who did not have the drive to turn the game around for his side. Substituted on to change the game, but ended up being ineffective for the visitors. Reuters -
Armando Broja (Aubameyang 59’) 5: Not able to influence the game as Chelsea succumbed to defeat. AFP -
Jorginho (Kovacic (59') 4: Struggled to get involved in the midfield and offered little creative threat as Chelsea struggled to create a clear-cut chance for an equaliser. EPA -
Marc Cucurella (Chilwell (71') 6: Slotted in nicely, but could not change the visitors’ fortunes. AP -
Christian Pulisic (Sterling (75') N/A: Did not have adequate time to change the game as the hosts held on for the win. AP
Tuchel’s departure was not linked directly to results, with Chelsea’s new owners wanting to move in a new strategic direction.
Boehly and Eghbali are confident of working with Potter in the long-run, and are understood to respect his man-management and people skills.
Potter was named as Chelsea manager on Thursday afternoon, with The Queen’s subsequent death clearly overshadowing his appointment.
Potter led Brighton to a 5-2 win over Leicester in his final Seagulls match on September 4, with the former Ostersund boss admitting the last few days had flown by.
“It’s nine days but it feels like nine weeks or nine months,” said Potter. “The beauty of football is that you never know what’s around the corner.
“Everything’s happened very quickly, with a lot of intense conversations.
“Chelsea’s owners are good people, intelligent people who want to achieve something here.
“It’s a really exciting project and they have some big ideas about how to take the club forward. It felt really positive.
“It’s been a whirlwind, getting to know people, leaving Brighton, learning about the players. So far it’s been really, really positive.
“It was one of those days where in 20, 30, 40 years’ time, everyone will know where they were when it happened. And that will be easy for me to answer that’s for sure. It was a seismic day for me on loads of levels.
“Without sounding silly, I was the main news I guess, then I didn’t become the news at all.
“When The Queen passed away, you started to think about your own life and for me it was childhood memories of my mum and dad, with a lot of those revolving around royal events. It just shows what a constant she has been.”
Potter overhauled Ostersund’s entire set-up, driving a small club from Sweden’s fourth tier to the Europa League between 2011 to 2018.
The new Blues boss might be unproven at the very top level, but insisted there is no greater risk in accepting the Stamford Bridge challenge than when he headed out to Sweden.
“If we walk across the road, there’s a risk – that’s what life is,” said Potter.
“I left England aged 30 and I went to a club that had sacked the manager every year for four years.
“I left a secure job and my wife left her business.
“Now I’m here 17 years later and I think I’ve taken careful steps with my career.
“Life’s about going outside your comfort zone, taking responsibility and believing there’s more to us than is here now.
“When I went to Sweden I was working in the ninth tier of English football. There was the bottom, a few more levels, then there was me. I didn’t ever have a plan to be sitting at a level like this.
“But while ambition is good, responsibility is better. And my responsibility is to do my absolute best at every level.”
