Izuchukwu OkosiFollowing his team’s 3-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening, Chelsea manager Graham Potter has revealed why he rested some of his star players in the game in a wholesale change compared with the team’s previous lineup against AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League.
Potter rested the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Raheem Sterling ahead of a huge game against Liverpool.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelSpeaking with the media, Potter reminded those who questioned his selections that there are fixtures congestion in a very complicated season.
“Thiago [Silva] had a heavy cold at the start of the week but played against Milan. Two days to recover is really short for him, so we didn’t want to take the chance there. Ben Chilwell playing three games in a week after recovering from an ACL injury. That wouldn’t have been the smartest thing to do to put him out there, especially when we’ve got Marc Cucurella.
“Reece James had a dead leg that wasn’t fully recovered yesterday, so we wanted to give him a bit of extra time and use him at the back end of the game rather than the start.
“Obviously, we missed Wesley [Fofana] and Mateo Kovacic, three games in a week for him would’ve been too much as he has been nursing a knee problem. So, again we can use Jorginho and Ruben [Loftus-Cheek].
On if rotation will be a regular feature because of the run until the World Cup and the former Brighton manager said the matches as they come will determine the team he selects.
“It won’t necessarily have to be like this. You have to take every situation on its own. But if you’re playing three games a week, going from Champions League and then two days later to Premier League, you have to make a decision around fresh players, players that are determined and desperate to play, there is that aspect.
“We’ve got a good group here, it’s a good squad with lots of competition, and you need people fighting for each other, supporting each other, wanting to play and ready to help. We saw that today. Kai [Havertz] scored, Christian [Pulisic] scored, and Armando scored, so that’s really pleasing.”
Asked if Chelsea need to bolster their midfield options in January, Potter says he has not thought about the transfer window.
Potter adds though he hopes to help improve club with new additions, he wants also to work with the players he currently has.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
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