Chelsea boss Graham Potter on what it’s like to work with a big squad
Speaking to the media ahead of the Leeds United clash, Chelsea boss Graham Potter expressed his views on what it’s like to work with a massive squad and handle their expectations.
Chelsea signed eight new players in the January window, including breaking the British transfer record to sign Enzo Fernandez. They only sold one player – Jorginho. They were close to getting rid of Hakim Ziyech too but messed up.
This is in addition to the seven they signed in the summer window, making the squad swell without many outgoings. What it has done is left Potter and his staff with a huge squad of talented players. Now, the manager can only play 11 at a time and maximum include 18 or 23 in the matchday squads.
Here’s Potter on the experience of working with large numbers in training every day (h/t Football.London):
“Not really [if it is challenging to work with many players]. We’re coaches and it’s our job to work with the players we have. I think we’ve done it well. Training has been good, the spirit in the team has been as good as it can be when we’re in a period of results we’re in.
“The boys have taken responsibility and understand where we’re at. We all admit we can do better – firstly me – and the players are honest enough as well to know they can do better. We’re all there and fighting but we need to show it on the pitch and that has to manifest itself with three points.”
While he may deny this question to the media, he cannot be true to himself when saying that everything is fine with the squad at the moment.
If we look at Chelsea’s Champions League squad for the knockout stages named by Potter after the January window, it showed his discomfort in putting the right players in.
With only three new signings allowed, he went with two attackers (Joao Felix and Mykhaylo Mudryk) and a midfielder (Fernandez), rather than naming the best defender currently in the side – Benoit Badiashile. He also left out the only number nine – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The manager cannot make everyone happy because there are some talented players not playing much for Chelsea this season. Add that to the fact that the team is losing games left, right and centre, it would not be comfortable for Potter to deal with so many bodies in the squad.
More Chelsea News:
- Chelsea confirm loaning out of Andrey Santos back to Vasco da Gama
- Zinedine Zidane and Luis Enrique emerge as favourites to succeed Graham Potter at Chelsea
- Napoli ready to splash the cash to keep Chelsea target Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
So, to trim the squad and also restore some of the money spent in the last two windows, the Blues need to sell smartly in the coming summer window.