Champions League returns at a tough time for Chelsea. The team is winless in their last three matches despite spending more than €300 million in January to bolster the squad. When they kick off their Champions League knockout round campaign Wednesday (catch the action on CBS and Paramount+) they'll be faced with a resurgent Borussia Dortmund side that has won six straight matches since the Bundesliga has returned. For most Chelsea managers, a loss here would put them on the hot seat, but it will be a chance to see how different things are under owner Todd Boehly.
When Graham Potter was hired from Brighton last Septemberthere were expected to be growing pains while he remade the Chelsea squad in his image, but few would've expected those pains to see the team go 5-6-5 in his 16 Premier League matches managed to date.
But when Potter was hired, Boehley stressed that he would be given time which is also a position backed by the current board according to the Athletic. They consider Potter to be unlucky, having dealt with numerous injuries this season including ones to key members of the squad like Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, and Reece James. They plan to judge him over the course of years, not months they claim, but at what point could they be tested?
As it stands, Chelsea are in ninth place in the Premier League, 10 points off of the pace of Newcastle United for a top-four spot. This is a club that is only successful when it is competing for trophies, but having already been bounced from the FA and EFL Cups, an early exit from Champions League would see its European hopes dwindle for next season.
Given Dortmund's form and the excellence of American Giovani Reyna, who has scored three goals in his last five matches, a win by the Black and Yellow is the most likely outcome of this tie. Chelsea have looked like a Potter team at times but the same questions of who will put the ball in the back of the net remain.
Missing out on Champions League soccer could be costly in more ways than one as well following Chelsea's spending. Despite giving their new additions seven to eight year contracts to spread the spending over multiple years, there could still be financial fair play implications due to the club making less in revenue without European soccer. Recruitment also suffers as players want to go to title contenders who participate in Champions League, and rake in the correspondingly higher wages that European revenue stream allows.
If the team is serious about backing Potter, it would show that things are actually changing at Stamford Bridge but a loss to Dortmund will test their patience. It will be quite a test but as pressure mounts, this is a must win tie for Potter. While the team has backed him and says they'll stick by him, no manager wants to figure out how many defeats will cause a supportive board to change their minds.
