‘We will get better’ – Graham Potter encouraged by display on Chelsea debut despite RB Salzburg draw

Graham Potter was not disheartened after his debut as Chelsea manager ended with an underwhelming 1-1 draw at home to RB Salzburg in the Champions League.

Raheem Sterling struck to give the Blues the lead early in the second half, but some slack defending helped the Austrians draw level through Noah Okafor.

“We’re disappointed with the result. I thought the boys gave everything,” Potter told BT Sport.

“We scored a good goal, but lost a bit in the second half and their goalkeeper has made some good saves.

“It is what it is, we have to dust ourselves down. Personality and application was good, we will get better. We got Raheem in one-on-one situations quite often and the goal was a good result of that.

“It’s always irritating when you concede a goal. Overall the defensive performance was quite good, it’s just the little details we will have to improve”

Potter was named as Chelsea’s new manager last Thursday, coming in from Brighton after Thomas Tuchel was sacked in the wake of a shock 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in their Champions League opener.

The west London club’s haul of one point from two games leaves them bottom of Group E, three points behind leaders AC Milan.

“It has not been easy for the boys, they have responded to us really well over the last few days and it’s a point we will have to take and get better,” Potter added.

“The attitude has been fantastic, no complaints apart from the fact we have not taken three points.”

Potter must now prepare his side for a European double-header with Serie A champions AC Milan, at Stamford Bridge on October 5 and at San Siro on October 11.

Chelsea’s Premier League fixture at home to Liverpool this weekend was postponed following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

That means Potter will have to wait until after the international break to make his Premier League bow as Blues boss with a trip to Crystal Palace on October 1.