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“Things change and opportunities arrive” – Potter sends message to Chelsea squad amid absence of key duo

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(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Graham Potter has sent a message to his Chelsea players over his team selections with many missing out every game due to the size of the squad.

Following an extremely busy summer and January transfer window with many incomings and very few outgoings, Potter’s Chelsea squad is bloated and the number exceeds 30 of the players he is having to manage on a daily basis – albeit many are in the medical room.

The Chelsea head coach has a selection dilemma on his hands every single game; that can be a positive, but also a negative when he is being forced to justify his decisions for each player who is left out entirely, let alone if they aren’t starting and beginning on the bench.

Injuries to Thiago Silva and N’Golo Kante have meant others have needed to step up in their absences, but Potter was coy on whether or not they would walk straight back into the team when they are back fit.

“The most important thing for those two is to get them back injury free,” said the 47-year-old.

Potter told his players they needed to be ready whenever they are required, adding: “Then the more good players we have the better. Then it is football deciding in terms of performances and results. That is where we’re at.

“We’ve had two good results but things change and opportunities arise. We just have to keep working like that.”

The Chelsea head coach used Marc Cucurella‘s Man of the Match performance as the perfect example for his players to follow, for those in the cold and not currently seeing game time.

He added: “Well, you just have to do the maths. Only eleven can play and we’ve got more than eleven, so inevitably, they’re not going to be happy. There is no point in denying that. That isn’t to say they’ve not been really professional and supportive of the team. There are always injuries and things that happen.

“You look at the situation with Marc Cucurella, for example. He wasn’t in the squad but came in against Dortmund and played a really good game and contributed to us winning. The players know that they have to be ready. That is how football works. They have to be ready, keep fighting, and make sure when the chance comes they are ready to play.”


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