Graham Potter thinks it is important that he makes full use of Chelsea’s squad and he believes honesty in explaining decisions will keep his players happy.
Chelsea breezed past managerless Wolves to win 3-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Potter made seven changes from their victory over AC Milan in midweek.
Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Armando Broja netted for the Blues who did not have Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Raheem Sterling or Thiago Silva in the starting eleven.
Reece James, Ben Chilwell and Mateo Kovacic were on the bench and the Blues were also without the recovering N’Golo Kante and the injured Wesley Fofana.
Asked how he can keep such a deep and talented squad happy, Potter replied: “My experience of pro footballers, whatever level, is they want to play football; so you have to respect that,” said Potter.
“But at the same time, part of the deal coming to that club like this is there’s a lot of competition.
“You have to fight, but you have to help the team, be ready to play your role.
“All you can do is be honest, be clear and be ready to admit that you’re not always right but that we’re doing it with good intentions.
“It’s important that we have a strong group, a strong collective. It’s credit to the players because there’s a good group here, I can’t complain.
“I don’t think we can succeed with just 11 players, I don’t think it’s right just to play 11 players until they fall down and get injured.
“As long as there are reasons there, it’s about communicating them and somebody’s got to make the decisions. It’s worked out well today and credit to the players.
“When you’re playing three games a week, you’ve got to make decisions around fresh players, when players are determined and desperate to play.”
Albania striker Broja fired his maiden senior goal for Chelsea, latching onto fellow replacement Kovacic’s smart pass before blasting home.
Potter hailed the former Southampton loanee and Blues academy graduate for seizing his chance to shine.
“That was a big goal for him and he’s been having an impact off the bench,” said Potter.
“He’s having to be patient, but he’s working hard in training. The academy players are vital; they bring an understanding of the club, culture, demands, what’s required in terms of environment.
“They’ve had a fantastic education with the academy, they are good people and good footballers. Our job now is to help them maximise their…
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