Graham Potter is experiencing new problems with Chelsea because of the Thiago Silva issue.

As Thiago Silva continues to see playing time for Chelsea, former Brighton manager Graham Potter will face a new defensive conundrum.

While Graham Potter lucked out in his first game as Chelsea manager by having an almost entirely functional squad against RB Salzburg, there were omens of the elevated management challenges he will face.

Mateo Kovacic's return to fitness bolstered the midfield, and N'Golo Kante's absence from the outfield was the only notable absence. It allowed Potter to put into action the widely shared early ideas for his Chelsea plan, but it only took one scary incident to bring him back to reality.

While Potter's decision to switch things up in the middle and with Raheem Sterling proved effective, the fact that Thiago Silva made a costly error was a negative aspect of the game. The genuine concern is not that he made a mistake (such plays are rare enough that they might have been stopped even after his terrible sliding tackle), but rather what it could signal for the future.

Silva and his management will get more complicated if, as former player Scott Minto indicates, the error was due to tired legs.

In a talkSPORT interview, Minto stated, "the point of it all... We've spoken in glowing terms about Thiago Silva before. Why are you plunging in headfirst? He rarely takes risks like that. Perhaps I'm just too sleepy to figure it out. He hurls himself in when he didn't have to."

Even though it's highly unusual for a player of Silva's caliber to make a mistake, Potter may have to rethink how often he plays Silva, who will turn 38 the week after next.

Due to Thomas Tuchel's strategic decision-making, he played 32 times in the league last season. Still, Potter has never dealt with an aging player as crucial as Silva or the international repercussions of losing him.

Since he started 14 of Brazil's 20 games last year and was on the roster for all but one, Tite does not need to change his starting lineup for the upcoming winter World Cup. This may have given Chelsea hope that they wouldn't need him for the remaining two pre-tournament-friendly matches.

Unfortunately, Tite included the 107-cap Silva in his team for the forthcoming games against Ghana and Tunisia.

Neymar, Fabinho, Richarlison, and Allison are all part of a group that includes some experimentation but also lacks three Arsenal stars missing in action (Gabriel Jesus appears to have been rested). There is a chance that Silva's presence would be too much for Chelsea to handle, with his advanced age and prowess at pregame preparation.

With any luck, Silva will be acceptable to play for the Blues again on October 1 against Crystal Palace. With Cesar Azpilicueta and Kalidou Koulibaly also over 30 and requiring game management, Potter has a massive task on his hands to keep a group of players fit for more matches in a situation he has yet to encounter at this level, and this won't diminish the number of air miles that will be in his legs.