Chelsea boss Graham Potter admits every player with World Cup aspirations is in "a tricky position" as domestic football continues just days before teams fly to Qatar.

The Blues are waiting on news of Ben Chilwell's hamstring injury, as he headed for a scan on Friday amid fears the muscle is torn, which would rule him out of England's plans.

Potter understands players have concerns about suffering injuries at such an unfortunate moment, but will demand his squad hold nothing back in Sunday's Premier League meeting with Arsenal.

Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is poised to face his former club, and unlike many of his team-mates does not need to worry about the World Cup, which starts on November 20, having retired from international football within months of Gabon failing to qualify.

Asked about possible fear of World Cup hopefuls getting hurt, Potter said in a press conference: "I don't think it's fear. I just think it's part of the challenge.

"It's very difficult to play Premier League football or Champions League football and go at it half-hearted. That's pretty much impossible. At the same time, there's a World Cup a couple of weeks away, so it's a tricky position for everybody."

Chelsea needed to wait for swelling to reduce before sending left-back Chilwell to be assessed, and Potter did not sound positive about the defender's England prospects.

"We all saw the nature of the injury," Potter said. "I can't say it looks positive, but until we get the scan it's difficult to say. At the moment we're just hopeful and fingers crossed, and from there we see how to get him back fit and strong. It's disappointing, of course."

Aubameyang's exit from Arsenal in February, when he moved to Barcelona, came after an apparent falling-out with head coach Mikel Arteta, as the former Gunners captain lost his first-team place.

After a short stint at Barcelona, Chelsea jumped at the chance to bring Aubameyang back to England, and Potter concurred it would be "an interesting one" for the 33-year-old this weekend.

"I don't think we should make it about him," he added. "I think it's about the team. He's an important part of the team and for us to get the result we want takes everybody, not just one person.

"I understand the interest is about him because it's Arsenal and there's a narrative about that. But as a team and a group we have to do well ourselves."

As for whether Aubameyang has anything to prove to Arsenal, for whom he scored 92 goals across all competitions, Potter suggested not.

"I don't think so. I think he's looking forward to the game, excited for it," Potter said. "He's been pretty normal from what I've seen, he's quite a quiet guy, but I'm sure come matchday he'll be determined."

Potter praised Arsenal's support for Arteta, who came under pressure in the early stages of his tenure, describing the backing the Spaniard has received as "a really good example of how success can come".

Former Brighton and Hove Albion boss Potter is still learning the ropes at Chelsea, but he had success against Arsenal during his time with the Seagulls, winning three of his six Premier League games against the Gunners (D1 L2).

Chelsea will hope that boosts their prospects, given they have lost three of their last four league games against Arsenal, more defeats than they had experienced in their previous 17 in the rivalry.

Moreover, Arsenal have won on their last two league visits to Stamford Bridge, as many victories as they achieved in their previous 16 visits.

League leaders Arsenal have not won three in a row at Stamford Bridge since April 1974, but that could change on Sunday.

Mohamed Elneny has revealed Mikel Arteta's decision to axe captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang last season left the squad "scared".

The Gunners parted ways with the Gabon international in January, offloading the forward to Barcelona after disciplinary issues at Emirates Stadium, but have since seen the striker return to the Premier League with Chelsea.

Arteta's side will come face to face with Aubameyang this weekend as they look to maintain their spot at the summit of the table against the Blues and will have no doubts about the threat he poses.

Aubameyang scored 92 goals during his four-year spell in north London, lifting the FA Cup in 2019-20, and Arteta's decision to move away from the forward at the start of the year was a controversial one.

That choice has been proven to be justified though, with Arsenal flying this season.

Asked whether that was the moment where Arteta imposed his authority upon the squad, Elneny said: "A hundred per cent. Now everyone looked at themselves because Mikel did that to the captain of the team, so what is he going to do with another player?

"This showed that now we can't play around, now we have to be calm with the team. The way the team is going, we have to stick together, not do something different.

"We agree with what Mikel decided because he is our boss, and we just have to agree what his vision is for us. I think it unified us because now everyone was scared. Everyone is scared with their position because this happened to Aubameyang.

"We don't allow big egos. This is the dressing room we have now. Everyone loves each other and everyone works for each other. This is what actually makes our squad really strong, because we don't have egos in the team.

"Of course if anyone is not the captain of the team, and does a small mistake, they are going to have the same problem, and no one needs that problem."

Aubameyang's reunion with Arsenal will grab the attention in Sunday's London derby, and the forward stands as one of many high-earning players offloaded during the Arteta and Edu era at Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners have also moved on Mesut Ozil and club-record signing Nicolas Pepe, among others, and Elneny feels Aubameyang is no different despite previously captaining the side.

"Aubameyang was one of our players and now he decided to go to a different team. We must focus on ourselves and look to win the game," Elneny said.

"We know what we are going there to do, because now we are looking for the title. Of course, we are going to push, and we are going to give everything to win the game."

Mikel Arteta says Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's Arsenal departure was "a decision that we had to take" as the ex-Gunners man prepares to face them with Chelsea.

The Gabon international departed the Emirates Stadium midway through last season by mutual consent, after he was previously stripped of the captaincy.

A move to Barcelona failed to yield a long-term stay, leaving Aubameyang to return to the Premier League with the Blues, where has scored three goals in 11 games to date.

Ahead of a reunion when the two sides meet on Sunday, Arteta did not dwell on the reasons for the forward's exit, but says it was a necessary move for both club and player.

"It's a decision that we had to take and there are different parties involved," he stated.

"At the end of the day, when someone is not with us any more and being a player and having the role that he had at the club and how important he was, you always wish everybody the best. 

"When someone makes that decision to move somewhere else, they need to enjoy their profession, and he seems to be happy."

Having coached him for several years in north London, Arteta is aware of the threat his former player possesses, adding that he knows he is "very dangerous".

"If Auba has something, it’s the ability to put the ball in the back of the net," he said. "He’s going to be doing that until the day that he decides he’s had enough of football.

Fikayo Tomori was unlucky to be sent off and concede a penalty during Milan's Champions League defeat to Chelsea, so says Mason Mount.

The Milan centre-back, a former Chelsea player, was given an 18th-minute red card after he was adjudged to have pulled Mount's shirt in the penalty box as the midfielder went through on goal.

Jorginho converted the penalty before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's 34th-minute strike wrapped up a comfortable 2-0 win for the Blues in Group E.

Mount, however, believes Chelsea were fortunate.

In an interview with Chelsea's official website, Mount said: "I was probably a bit surprised [with the decision] at the time because I've still gone through and had a shot.

"I felt him [Tomori] trying to pull me back but I was running to goal so I wasn't going to go down. I carried on going, didn't score and then obviously the ref blew up and gave a pen straight away."

Tomori and Mount are both products of Chelsea's academy. The duo both spent time on loan at Derby County, under Frank Lampard, in the 2018-19 campaign and went on to play together for the Blues first team before the defender departed for Milan in 2021, helping the Rossoneri win the Serie A title last season.

"He's obviously my mate, I've known Fik for a very long time, and I felt for him in that situation, I was gutted for him. I don't think it was a sending-off," Mount added.

"You still want to be playing 11 v 11 and going at it with two good teams, so it maybe ruined the game a bit. It was massive for us and we obviously wanted to win the game, which we did," he added.

Tuesday's game was poignant for striker Aubameyang, who played at San Siro for the first time. His half-brothers Willy and Catilina both played for Milan.

On Instagram, Aubameyang said: "Big dream achieved!! I used to come to this stadium to see my brothers playing and never had the chance to play at San Siro myself, now it's done."

Chelsea are top of Group E after four games with an away trip to Austrian side Salzburg next, as Graham Potter's team look to secure qualification to the knockout stage.

Barcelona director of football Mateu Alemany has revealed a deal has been struck to make Antoine Griezmann's loan spell at Atletico Madrid permanent.

Griezmann joined Atletico on a two-year loan deal last season, which reportedly contained a €40million purchase obligation if he played at least 30 minutes in a percentage of the team's games.

That clause has led Atletico to manage Griezmann's minutes in the season's early weeks; although the forward has appeared in all eight of Los Colchoneros' league games this campaign, he played under 30 minutes in six of those contests.

It was suggested the two LaLiga giants had reached an agreement worth €19.9million for Griezmann's services earlier this week, and Xavi intimated such reports were correct on Saturday.

Speaking at Barcelona's general assembly on Sunday, Alemany confirmed Griezmann was set to stay in Madrid, saying: "It has been closed this week.

"I think that, in my opinion, it has been important because we took away an important salary."

Alemany also discussed Barcelona's movements in the recent transfer window, in which they agreed big-money deals for the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde, as well as signing several free agents.

The Blaugrana director said those additions have brought additional quality to Camp Nou, also highlighting the importance of selling Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Chelsea.

"Aubameyang's [sale] was an extraordinary operation, not only because economically it was good, but also because it generated fair play for us," he added.

"We have focused on renewing young players and cutting contracts for veteran players, with more than 30 years of age. 

"Increasingly we have to focus on the market of players who are free. This year we have done it with [Franck] Kessie, [Andreas] Christensen, Marcos Alonso and [Hector] Bellerin, and there are many more for the future. 

"On the other hand, Kounde, Raphinha and Lewandowski have given us a quality leap in the squad. 

"All three have shown that they wanted to come here. Lewandowski, despite the fact that he has just turned 34, what he shows us every day is that his real age is 24 years."

Manchester United are reportedly in the market for defenders in the January window, and are said to have interest in Inter trio Milan Skriniar, Alessandro Bastoni and Denzel Dumfries.

Skriniar is considered a hot commodity at centre-back and was recently the subject of a €60million bid from Paris Saint-Germain. Inter rejected that bid, but with the Slovakian's contract set to expire at the end of the season, this will be their last opportunity to cash in if they believe Skriniar will not sign an extension.

Bastoni, 23, has already banked 16 international caps for Italy and is a rising star in his own right, while Dumfries boasts 37 caps for the Netherlands and is flexible enough to play both right-back and in the middle of defence.

The trio are at the centre of Inter's goals this season, but sitting ninth in the Serie A with four wins and four losses from their first eight games, the potential cash injection from selling one or more could fund significant improvements elsewhere.

 

TOP STORY – UNITED PLAN PLUNDER OF INTER'S DEFENSIVE STOCKS

InterLive reported United's interest in Skriniar, while Calciomercato believes the Red Devils are preparing an offer for Dumfries, with the idea being to use him at right-back.

Gazzetta dello Sport claims the Old Trafford side will have to contend with Tottenham and Manchester City in their chase for Bastoni, and Calciomercato adds that Chelsea also have interest in the Italian.

United's hunt for defenders is not limited to Serie A, with The Express reporting that they are also seriously looking at Bayer Leverkusen's 21-year-old Dutch right-back Jeremie Frimpong, stating that manager Erik ten Hag sees him as "the ideal signing" in that position.

 

ROUND-UP

– Foot Mercato is reporting Chelsea will not stand in the way of Paris Saint-Germain if they come with a reasonable bid for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

– According to ESPN, United feel confident Cristiano Ronaldo will stay through the January transfer window due to the lack of interest in the 37-year-old.

– Football Insider claims Arsenal are considering a move for United's Marcus Rashford at the end of this season.

Newcastle United have met with Vasco da Gama representatives to discuss a potential deal for 18-year-old Andrey Santos, who is expected to cost more than £30m, according to The I.

Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham both have interest in Chelsea's N'Golo Kante if the 31-year-old does not sign a new contract at Stamford Bridge, per L'Equipe.

Chelsea won their first game in Champions League Group E as goals from Wesley Fofana, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Reece James sealed a resounding 3-0 victory over Milan on Wednesday.

Graham Potter's side had picked up just one point from their opening two games against Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb, but victory at Stamford Bridge against the Serie A champions has revived their bid to reach the knockout stages.

Fofana scored his first goal for the club since joining from Leicester City in September after 24 minutes, slotting home after a goalmouth scramble.

Aubameyang and James, who set up the former's strike, made sure of the three points in the second half as Chelsea made it back-to-back wins following the weekend triumph over Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

Ciprian Tatarusanu kept out Mason Mount's whipped effort from outside the penalty area after four minutes, while the Milan goalkeeper pawed over Thiago Silva's header midway through the first half.

Tatarusanu denied Silva again soon after, yet the rebound made its way into the path of Fofana, who stroked home to put the Blues ahead.

Mount saw an effort ruled out for offside as Chelsea continued to dominate, although only a smart stop from Kepa Arrizabalaga prevented Rade Krunic from pulling Milan level on the stroke of half-time.

Former Rossoneri youth player Aubameyang doubled the Blues' advantage 11 minutes after the restart with a close-range finish from James' sublime cross. 

James wrapped up the scoring five minutes later, the England international slamming into the roof of Tatarusanu's net after being played in by Raheem Sterling. 

What does it mean? Chelsea breathe life into Champions League campaign

Failure to secure three points here would have severely damaged Chelsea's hopes of reaching the last 16, yet a superb display – and result – saw them leapfrog Milan into second in the group, just a point behind Salzburg.

Milan, who had only one shot on target, were well off the pace and have now won just one of their 21 away European matches in England.

James shines

James was at the heart of everything good about Chelsea and at the age of 22 years and 301 days, he became the youngest Chelsea player to both score and assist a goal in the same Champions League game.

Fofana's joy turns to disappointment

It was a game of mixed emotions for Fofana. The 21-year-old opened his account for his new club with a close-range finish, but his participation ended just 14 minutes later when he hobbled off after appearing to hurt his knee in a clash with Rafael Leao.

What's next?

Both sides are in domestic action on Saturday ahead of next week's return fixture, with Chelsea at home to Wolves and Milan welcome Juventus to San Siro.

Gabriel Jesus is setting the standard that is driving Arsenal's early-season charge at the top of the Premier League, and he came up trumps in his first north London derby.

Arsenal's win over Tottenham came in Saturday's early game and was followed by plenty of drama later, as Liverpool were held by Brighton and Hove Albion in a rip-roaring match at Anfield featuring a Leandro Trossard hat-trick.

Newcastle United earned a second win of the season, brushing off Fulham at Craven Cottage, while Graham Potter's Chelsea had substitute Conor Gallagher to thank for their late winner at Crystal Palace.

With goals and drama in abundance, here Stats Perform unpacks the pick of the data.

Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham: Ton up for Kane, but it's Partey time for Arsenal after derby win

Harry Kane became the first Premier League player to reach 100 away goals in the competition, but that was scant consolation for Tottenham after this derby defeat.

Arsenal were able to celebrate a third successive home league win over Spurs – the first time that has happened since 2013 – and they are unbeaten at home in this fixture for 12 games now (W8 D4).

It was a win to savour for Arsenal, with Thomas Partey's opening goal rounding off a 21-pass move, going down as the Gunner's sixth goal since December 26, 2019 to have come from a sequence of 20 or more passes. Only Liverpool and Manchester City have had more in that time. 

Jesus restored the Gunners' lead after Kane's penalty brought Spurs level, with Arsenal's close-season signing from City having managed five goals and three assists already in the Premier League. Only Erling Haaland (12) has had more goal involvements in the early weeks of this season.

It fell to Granit Xhaka to put the seal on the win, after Emerson Royal was sent off. The Arsenal midfielder grabbed his second Premier League goal of the season, with this the first campaign where he has managed more than one league strike since he netted four times in the 2018-19 season.

Liverpool 3-3 Brighton and Hove Albion: Trossard heroics stun Reds

Leandro Trossard became just the third opposing player to score a Premier League hat-trick at Anfield, joining former Coventry City winger Peter Ndlovu and ex-Arsenal forward Andrey Arshavin in that curious club. Arshavin famously hit four in a 4-4 draw in April 2009, the highest-scoring Premier League draw at Liverpool's home ground.

Saturday's feat meant Belgium international Trossard became the first Brighton player to score a Premier League hat-trick, and it left Liverpool four points behind the Seagulls after seven games each, with this game quite the baptism for new boss Roberto De Zerbi.

Liverpool have just two wins from seven games, and they were thankful for Roberto Firmino's sharp finishing as he scored twice, taking his tally for the season to five Premier League goals, all coming at Anfield. He scored five across the 2021-22 season, all away from home.

Mohamed Salah remains stuck on two goals in this campaign but he marked his 200th Premier League appearance with a 50th assist when he set up Firmino to trim Brighton's lead to 2-1 in the first half. Salah becomes just the third African player to reach 50 assists in the competition, after Didier Drogba (55) and Riyad Mahrez (51).

 

Crystal Palace 1-2 Chelsea: Gallagher returns to rock Eagles

Conor Gallagher came off the bench to deliver a 90th-minute knockout blow with Chelsea's winner against the side they loaned him to last season.

It meant Crystal Palace's losing run against Chelsea extended to 10 Premier League matches, and also boosted the Blues' record to nine wins in their last 10 away London derbies against all teams.

New Chelsea boss Graham Potter watched on in his first Premier League game since joining from Brighton, and he saw former Barcelona and Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang mark his league debut for the visitors with a first-half equaliser. Aubameyang also scored in his first game for Arsenal (against Everton in February 2018).

Odsonne Edouard's opener in the seventh minute was the earliest goal Chelsea have conceded in a Premier League away game since January 2021, when Wilfred Ndidi scored for Leicester City in the sixth minute.

Fulham 1-4 Newcastle United: Magpies take flight thanks to Almiron's capital double

Miguel Almiron had been Newcastle's home boy of late, with his last seven Premier League goals coming at St James' Park, so Saturday's double at Craven Cottage bucked a trend.

A fine volley followed by a close-range finish from the Paraguayan helped Newcastle to their joint-biggest victory under Eddie Howe in the Premier League (also 3-0 vs Norwich City in April), and a biggest league win in London since beating Fulham 4-0 in May 2019.

Almiron last scored away from home in the Premier League in another 4-1 win for Newcastle – against Howe's Bournemouth in July 2020.

Fulham were hindered by a red card for Nathaniel Chalobah after seven minutes and 26 seconds, the earliest a player has been sent off for the club in the Premier League since Ian Pearce against Palace in October 2004 (sixth minute).

Conor Gallagher's sublime last-minute strike earned Chelsea a 2-1 win against his former club Crystal Palace to give Graham Potter a winning start in the Premier League.

Second-half substitute Gallagher, who spent last season on loan at Selhurst Park, curled home in the 90th minute to win a game that Chelsea trailed early on.

Odsonne Edouard had given Palace the lead on home soil in Saturday's contest, only for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to net his first goal for Chelsea before half-time.

Palace felt Thiago Silva should have been sent off before assisting that Aubameyang equaliser, and their mood was not helped by former player Gallagher's late winner.

Graham Potter opted for Cesar Azpilicueta ahead of recent arrivals Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana as Chelsea switched to 4-3-3 in their new head coach's first game.

The Blues operated in a 3-4-3 system for most of Thomas Tuchel's tenure, but the German was dismissed after an underwhelming start to the season.

Potter was convinced to leave Brighton and Hove Albion for Stamford Bridge and made three changes ahead of his first game at home to Salzburg in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Thiago Silva returned to the starting line-up, with club captain Azpilicueta partnering the centre-back as Potter decided to leave out Koulibaly and Fofana, who were recruited from Napoli and Leicester City respectively.

Jorginho came in to the midfield trio, along with Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount, while former Brighton defender Marc Cucurella replaced Ben Chilwell at left-back.

Chelsea continued with the same front three, though – Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang up top, the latter making his home debut for the Blues.

The Blues lost 1-0 at Dinamo Zagreb in their Group E opener, which was Tuchel's 100th game in charge, and also his last.

Chelsea have reportedly held an emergency call with new signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to reassure him of his future with the club after Thomas Tuchel's surprise sacking.

Tuchel was removed from his position after Chelsea's 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb in their Champions League opener, in a move that will carry a heavy financial cost, according to reports from the Daily Mail and The Mirror.

Tuchel and his backroom staff are said to be receiving £15million in pay-outs, and Brighton are set to claim £20m in compensation after Graham Potter took over.

One of the main selling points for Aubameyang to come to Stamford Bridge was his relationship with Tuchel, who had coached him at Borussia Dortmund, and the Telegraph claims Chelsea's ownership group went out of their way to reassure the 33-year-old striker about his decision after cutting ties with Tuchel.

 

TOP STORY – CHELSEA OWNERS REASSURE AUBAMEYANG OF HIS ROLE AFTER TUCHEL FIRING

According to the Telegraph's report, controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Egbali addressed the Chelsea squad on Wednesday after Tuchel's sacking took place that morning, but there was also a separate individual chat with Aubameyang.

They reportedly told the signing from Barcelona that they "believe he can flourish under new head coach Graham Potter", and the Gabon international is said to have no second thoughts about his decision.

While he was clearly a player Tuchel pushed for, Aubameyang was assured he was "a club signing", and the report claims he "is thought to have been appreciative of the explanation".

In his one game for Chelsea under Tuchel, Aubameyang was substituted in the 59th minute.

 

ROUND-UP

– BILD has confirmed once again that Liverpool have their sights set on a massive move for Borussia Dortmund's 19-year-old English midfielder Jude Bellingham in 2023. 

– A report from Sport claims the rise of 18-year-old Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde has complicated the arrival of Marcos Alonso, who was brought in to be the main competition to Jordi Alba, but he is now behind Balde as well.

– Fabrizio Romano is reporting 21-year-old Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk wants a move to Arsenal alongside his Ukrainian compatriot Oleksandr Zinchenko, and that it could be possible in January.

– JuveLive claim Juventus are prepared to offer 22-year-old striker Moise Kean to Aston Villa in a straight swap for 24-year-old midfielder Douglas Luiz.

Todd Boehly has made his first appointment as Chelsea owner, drafting in Graham Potter from Brighton and Hove Albion to succeed Thomas Tuchel.

The decision to axe Tuchel just a week after the close of the transfer window was a bold call but problems have reportedly stemmed throughout the summer, with defeats to Southampton and Leeds United proving to be problematic, and a decision is said to have been made before the surprise defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.

In Potter, Chelsea have appointed one of the most highly-rated young managers within English football, the 47-year-old guiding Brighton to a ninth-place finish in the Premier League last season – the highest in the club's history.

He will inherit a talented and staggeringly expensive squad at Stamford Bridge, with key decisions to be made across the squad. Here, Stats Perform looks at the winners and losers of his appointment.

Winner – Marc Cucurella

Signed from Brighton for a reported £60million ahead of the 2022-23 season, many eyebrows were raised as to whether the Spain international was a worthwhile addition given Ben Chilwell's position in the squad already.

After a 15-minute cameo on the opening weekend, Cucurella has subsequently started all five of the following Premier League matches, with Chilwell demoted to the bench after he started the curtain-raiser against Everton.

Cucurella's position as first-choice down the left should be even more secure following the appointment of Potter, a player he brought to Brighton from Getafe in 2021 and one that was a staple in his side last season, appearing in 35 of the 38 league matches in a variety of position.

Loser – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Brought back to the Premier League on deadline day from Barcelona, former Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang spoke about his delight of playing under Tuchel again following the pair's time together at Borussia Dortmund.

That reunion proved to be short lived, though, with Aubameyang now having to prove himself to Potter and potentially having to shake off the troublesome reputation he earned from Mikel Arteta in his time in north London.

Potter is a manager who has a set approach to play and Aubameyang must fill into that fully, though the new boss may not have the patience to try to make it work, instead looking to younger options that can be crafted to fill that role.

Winner – Armando Broja

Having impressed on loan with Southampton last season, Armando Broja was linked with further loan moves for the 2022-23 campaign but opted to remain at Stamford Bridge and fight for regular football.

The Albania international could secure exactly that under Potter if he quickly learns his style of play, with Potter's time at Brighton showing he is fully prepared to trust in the youth to fill voids in the squad – shown by Moises Caicedo's meteoric rise following the sale of Yves Bissouma to Tottenham.

Finding a long-term solution to Chelsea's striker woes is likely to be one of the biggest tasks on Tuchel's agenda after his arrival in west London and Broja should get the chance to prove he is exactly what is needed.

Loser – Ageing defenders

Chelsea spent heavily to bolster their defensive ranks after losing Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, with Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana brought in as replacements.

The duo reportedly cost just over £100m and those fees will likely ensure they are Potter's first-choice pairing this season, with Chelsea keen to ensure they don't sustain another huge loss in the transfer market like they did with Romelu Lukaku.

That could be bad news for 37-year-old Thiago Silva and 33-year-old club captain Cesar Azpilicueta, both of whom will be vying for regular football ahead of the World Cup in Qatar but face considerable competition for a starting berth.

Chelsea made a dismal start to their Champions League campaign as Mislav Orsic guided Dinamo Zagreb to a shock 1-0 win over the disjointed Blues on Tuesday. 

Orsic handed the hosts a surprise lead with a neat finish after racing onto Bruno Petkovic's flick-on just 13 minutes in, as Chelsea produced yet another toothless attacking display.

Chelsea debutant Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struggled before being withdrawn on the hour, with Dinamo keeping Thomas Tuchel's men at arm's length with a superb defensive performance.

Having made a below-par start in the Premier League, Chelsea must now play catch-up in what could prove an awkward Champions League group, with games against Milan and Salzburg to come.

Chelsea should have gone ahead when Aubameyang failed to reach Kai Havertz's early cut-back, and paid the price when Dinamo hit the front shortly thereafter, as Orsic beat Wesley Fofana for pace before stabbing into the bottom-right corner.

Kepa Arrizabalaga saved well from Arijan Ademi's volley as Dinamo grew in confidence, and Chelsea recorded just one effort on target before half-time as the hosts defended in numbers. 

Aubameyang was denied by the offside flag when he tapped Ben Chilwell's cut-back home five minutes after the break, before Chelsea were indebted to Kepa for tipping Stefan Ristovski's sweet strike onto the post.

Substitute Hakim Ziyech was unable to turn home an enticing right-wing cross as the visitors became more desperate, and Kalidou Koulibaly was perhaps fortunate to avoid a second booking for a foul on Petkovic. 

Tuchel introduced Armando Broja and Christian Pulisic in search of a leveller, with Dominik Livakovic finally called into action with five minutes left, his reflex save denying Ziyech seconds after Reece James struck the right-hand post, as the Blues failed to find a way past the stubborn hosts on a chastening trip to Croatia.

What does it mean? Chelsea's blues continue 

After a meek showing in Zagreb, Chelsea have suffered defeat in their opening Champions League match for just the third time in their 19 participations (W11 D5), also losing to Basel (2013-14) and Valencia (2019-20).

While Chelsea's ponderous attack has been criticised in the season's early weeks, they have also failed to keep a clean sheet in six outings across all competitions, their joint-longest such run since Tuchel took charge (also six in November-December 2021).

Orsic troubles English visitors

Orsic did brilliantly to bring down Petkovic's flick-on before his clever finish gave Dinamo a the lead, and he is beginning to carve out a reputation for tormenting Premier League sides.

He has scored five goals in his last four games against English teams in European competition (three v Tottenham, one v West Ham and Chelsea). Orsic is Dinamo's all-time top scorer in continental action with 18 goals (excluding qualifiers).

No fast start for Aubameyang

Tuchel backed Aubameyang to "prove a point" ahead of the trip to Zagreb, but the new arrival failed to record a shot on his first Blues outing, enjoying just three touches in the Dinamo area.

It was a far cry from Aubameyang's last Champions League appearance, when he scored a brace for Borussia Dortmund against Real Madrid in December 2017. While the former Barcelona man could yet solve Chelsea's attacking issues, he may need time to hit his stride.

What's next?

Chelsea go to Fulham for a London derby in the Premier League on Saturday. Dinamo, meanwhile, face HNK Gorica in the Prva HNL on the same day, before travelling to Milan in the Champions League next Wednesday. 

Thomas Tuchel declared Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is hungry to prove a point as he weighed up whether to throw Chelsea's new striker in from the start at Dinamo Zagreb.

Aubameyang, who only left Arsenal for Barcelona in January, became one of the final major signings of a busy transfer window at Stamford Bridge, and has made the trip to Croatia for the Blues' Champions League opener.

The striker was unable to feature in a 2-1 Premier League win over West Ham on Saturday after suffering a broken jaw when his home was invaded by burglars ahead of his transfer.

But Aubameyang could be set to make his debut while donning a protective mask on Tuesday, and Tuchel believes the 33-year-old is desperate to hit the ground running.

Asked whether Aubameyang was the type of character to thrive in difficult situations, Tuchel said: "He is the sort of player. He's very ambitious, he's very focused and hungry to play for us. 

"He's hungry to prove a point still, that's why he's here. That's what we felt from the first moment and he's happily invited to prove a point tomorrow."

Pressed on whether Aubameyang could start, he added: "If an issue would come up today [on Monday], we will not put him tomorrow, but there was no issue for him [on Sunday] and I hope there will not be an issue.

"Is he ready to start? Of course, I think he cannot play 90 minutes so it's on us to take a decision on how we manage the minutes, he needs minutes to get his full fitness and rhythm, it's clear.

"So it's on us to find a solution, if he comes from the bench or if he starts."

Aubameyang scored 56 goals in just 63 league games under Tuchel's management at Borussia Dortmund, averaging a goal every 94 minutes of league action under the German.

His new team-mate Mateo Kovacic, meanwhile, believes the Gabon international fills a clear void in the Blues' attack. 

"I haven't seen him yet in training because he only trained yesterday with the team, so I haven't seen him yet, but he is a great player as we know, he scored goals everywhere," he said.

"We're looking forward to having him in our squad and he will be a big addition to Chelsea.

"He's a proper striker, a goalscorer, which we missed in the last years. We haven't had that goalscorer that scores 20 or 25 goals per season, which you obviously need to win the title.

"So like I said, we're looking forward to having him in our squad, and he will be a big addition, that's for sure. He's a proven goalscorer, for him it's normal to score goals and I hope he will do it here as well."

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is in the squad for Chelsea's Champions League opener against Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday.

The Gabon international was one of the final major signings of a busy transfer window for Thomas Tuchel's Blues, as they seek to offset the loss of Romelu Lukaku.

The former Barcelona forward arrived at Stamford Bridge with a broken jaw however, throwing into doubt when he would be able to participate.

But with confirmation of Chelsea's 23-man party for their European opener in Croatia comes the news he could be in line for his debut, alongside fellow new recruit Denis Zakaria.

N'Golo Kante and Thiago Silva are the two men who drop out for the Blues, as the Premier League side look to take the momentum from their victory over West Ham at the weekend into an opening continental win.

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