Chelsea – AC Milan: Wreck-It Reece Ruins Milan’s Aspirations (3-0)

The same undue agitation that helped Graham Potter attain his new post in west London may be his undoing if Chelsea's results are not to the owner's palette. Thankfully, his men got over the line with a display whose parallels to the recent past exhibited the class of one key figure.

Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

The managerial carousel has claimed its next victim at Chelsea. Thomas Tuchel is out of the door. No one could have dared to utter those words about a manager that led the club to the crowning glory of European football within five months of his arrival. The grace period that such an achievement might earn other managers never slipped into his lap at a club where change is the only constant. The new owner Todd Boehly was swift to pull the trigger, installing Graham Potter as the face of his regime.

Continuity was similarly evasive at AC Milan. Indeed, their incumbent manager was merely a stopgap upon his appointment in 2019. The board had planned to bring Ralf Rangnick into the fold, standing by Stefano Pioli in a sliding doors moment. A pair of top four finishes and their first Scudetto in 11 years have since paid back that faith to no end. The Rossoneri, sitting at the top of their Champions League group, now seek to repossess their right to mingle with the rest of the European royalty.

Injuries have ravaged options in the rearguard for Pioli. Mike Maignan . . .