Newly installed Chelsea manager Graham Potter is the fourth boss in a row that has failed to win their opening match.
Despite the appointment of the former Brighton and Hove Albion mastermind, the west Londoners’ Champions League woes continued on Wednesday evening (September 14) as Noah Okafor’s claimed close-range finish claimed an away-day point for RB Salzburg.
Chelsea did manage to take the lead, thanks to an ice-cool finish from Raheem Sterling shortly after the re-start, however, Potter’s side were pegged by in the 75th minute, as Okafor’s sidefooted effort squirmed under Kepa Arrizabalaga to leave the Blues bottom of Group E.
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And while trigger-happy chief Todd Boehly won’t be happy with the result, the outcome was perhaps inevitable. Ex-managers Maurizio Sarri, Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel all failed to record three points in their opening fixtures – as Daily Star Sport investigates…
Maurizio Sarri
Chelsea’s winless first-game curse dates back to 2018 when then-owner Roman Abramovich opted to appoint Sarri as the successor to compatriot Antonio Conte.
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The former Napoli boss’ debut came under the iconic Wembley arch in the annual Community Shield curtain-raiser – though the FA Cup holders were comfortably dispatched 2-0 by Manchester City, as Sergio Aguero bagged his 200th goal for the top-flight champions.
In the Premier League, though, the Blues flew out of the traps, winning their opening five matches before drawing away at the London Stadium, yet they stayed unbeaten in the top-flight until November – eventually losing 3-1 to rivals Tottenham at Wembley.
Lasting just one season at Stamford Bridge, Sarri did manage to return the club to Champions League football, courtesy of a second-half demolition job in an all-English Europa League final, as the Blues defeated Arsenal by four goals to one.
Finishing third in the Premier League table also signalled an improvement on the previous season’s agonising fifth, though Man City once again got the better of the west Londoners in the League Cup final.
Frank Lampard
Installed as Chelsea chief on the back of one season in management, a failed play-off campaign at Derby County, Lampard’s return to Stamford Bridge was met with euphoria and jubilation prior to his first outing – though that soon evaporated.
Taking his transfer-embargoed Blues to Old Trafford for the first game of the 2019/20 campaign, Lampard’s men suffered a 4-0 thumping at the hands of the relentless Red Devils, leaving them 19th in the Premier League table – Manchester City’s 5-0 win at West Ham United saved them from bottom spot.
Recording just two wins in his opening six matches, the west Londoners dropped points against Leicester City in his second game in charge and Sheffield United at home, throwing away a two-goal cushion against the newly-promoted Blades.
However, their former skipper was able to guide Chelsea to a fourth-place finish and an FA Cup final – where Arsenal gained revenge for the humiliating Europa League final defeat with a 2-1 win, current Blues forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang getting both goals for the Gunners.
While Lampard was deemed to have worked miracles in the absence of Eden Hazard and an inability to replace last season’s starman, Roman Abramovich’s ruthlessness was on full display once again following a run of just two top-flight wins in eight matches – with Chelsea ninth in the table.
Thomas Tuchel
Appointed the day after Lampard’s brutal sacking, Tuchel was given just 24 hours to prepare his side for the stern home test against Wolves, which ended goalless behind closed doors.
Picking up maximum points from his next four outings, and succeeding where Lampard couldn’t with wins over Sheffield United and Spurs, Chelsea fell to just three defeats during the remainder of the Premier League season – including a baffling 5-2 loss at home to West Bromwich Albion, who finished the campaign in 19th.
However, Tuchel’s most accomplished triumph came in the Champions League as the German gaffer guided Chelsea to only a second-ever old ears trophy, defeating Man City 1-0 in Porto.
Improving their Premier League position by finishing third the following season, Tuchel bizarrely received his marching orders from Todd Boehly just six days after the closing of the summer transfer window.
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