 He later admitted to being very close to leaving the club, citing advice and encouragement from teammate Andriy Shevchenko as one of the reasons for staying.Eight months after becoming a Chelsea player, Ivanović made his first appearance for the Chelsea's first team, getting a start at right back against Portsmouth in the League Cup on 24 September and afterwards receiving approval for his man-to-man marking and aerial play from newly arrived manager Luiz Felipe Scolari.Ivanović soon went on to make his Premier League debut, starting against Aston Villa and playing the full 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge on 5 October, a match Chelsea won 2–0.