Bruno Saltor makes two changes for first game as Chelsea take on Liverpool following Graham Potter’s departure on Sunday, while N’Golo Kante makes his first start since August
- Chelsea take on Liverpool in their first game since Graham Potter’s sacking
- Trevoh Chalobah seemed convinced ahead of Aston Villa he was in
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang remains frozen despite Potter’s departure
Bruno Saltor has made X changes for his first Chelsea game in charge as the post-Graham Potter era gets underway in earnest against Liverpool on Tuesday night.
At the same time as Potter’s sacking, it was announced that Saltor would take over first team duties on an interim basis as the club thoroughly searched for its next manager, its third in less than a year into the new owner’s reign.
N’Golo Kante makes his first start since August after being out for much of the season with a hamstring injury, while Wesley Fofana replaces Ruben Loftus-Cheek while Reece James moves to right-back.
Mykhailo Mudryk is sinking to the bench for Kante, having been disappointed so far following his big-money move from Shakhtar Donetsk in January. The Frenchman is the captain of the team.
N’Golo Kante will return to Chelsea’s starting eleven on Tuesday for a visit to Liverpool
Wesley Fofana has also been recalled as the post-Graham Potter era begins in earnest
Mason Mount – whose future at Chelsea is very much up in the air – is still left out
Potter’s reign was ultimately marred by partisan dissatisfaction and an apparent inability to settle for a preferred XI.
Trevoh Chalobah’s non-selection on Saturday somewhat typified the deficiencies on the tactical front, with the defender left stunned at not being selected for the game against Aston Villa.
He’d gone through his tactical briefs and set-play duties, only to see James start in front of him at right centre-back.
Mason Mount, who remains hesitant about a new deal and looks increasingly likely to leave in the summer, returns to the bench. He has not started a Premier League game for The Blues since a win over Southampton in February.
Bruno Saltor was announced as the club’s new interim first-team coach following the sacking of Graham Potter
Meanwhile, Virgil van Dijk is missing for Liverpool due to illness. The Dutch defender was widely criticized after Liverpool’s 4-1 defeat at Manchester City on Saturday.
Chelsea XI: Kepa; Fofana, Koulibaly, Cucurella; James, Kovacic, Kante, Fernandez, Chilwell; Felix, Havertz
Liverpool XI: Alisson; Gomez, Matip, Konate, Tsimikas; Fabinho, Henderson, Jones; Jota, Nunez, Firmino