Liverpool vs Chelsea press conference: Potter on Mudryk debut, Madueke rumours and wing-backs' return from injury
20 JAN 2023
Ahead of Saturday's Premier League fixture away at Liverpool, Graham Potter revealed Mykhailo Mudryk's chances of making his Chelsea debut at Anfield and provided an update on the recovery of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Reece James and Ben Chilwell from injury.
With the January transfer window in full swing and Chelsea active in the market this month, before looking ahead to the match at Liverpool, Graham Potter was asked by the media whether there was any news on Noni Madueke, who has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge from PSV Eindhoven.
'I know there’s a lot of noise around there, but at the moment there’s nothing to announce,' said Potter.
'The club hasn’t announced anything and I’m not in a position to speak any more until he’s a Chelsea player. Until then there’s nothing else to say. I don’t like to speak about players who aren’t Chelsea players.'
One man who is very much a Chelsea player, though, is Mykhailo Mudryk, and Potter suggested there is a good chance the Ukrainian winger could make his debut at some point during our visit to Anfield, following his move from Shakhtar Donetsk.
'He’s settled in really good. He’s a young player, an exciting player, fantastic speed one-v-one, can attack the back line. Now we’ve just got to help him adapt to the Premier League, adapt to us.
'He’s obviously come from a mid-season break so hasn’t played so much football recently, but has been training well, so we’ll assess him and see how much he can play at the weekend.
'There’s a chance he could make his debut. It’s how much he can do. I think 90 minutes no, but there’s probably a role for him at some stage in the game.
'You’ve just got to help him understand and help everyone understand that he’s coming from a different country, a different league, so he has to adapt. He’s a young player who’s got a lot of potential, a lot of upside, but at the same time he’s had some really good experiences already. So he’s an exciting player.'
Looking at longer-serving members of his Blues squad, Potter also provided an update on how close Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Reece James and Ben Chilwell are to returning to action, with the first of those the closest after being an unused substitute in Sunday's win over Crystal Palace.
'Ruben was on the bench in the last match to be on the bench, essentially,' explained our head coach. 'He’s a lot closer now so he can play more minutes.
'The boys are progressing well, Reece has joined team training but won’t be involved at the weekend, the same as Ben. Everybody else is pretty much where we were.'
== Liverpool vs Chelsea injury list ==
Potter revealed last week that N'Golo Kante is returning to training and getting closer, although not ready for matches yet. Christian Pulisic, Raheem Sterling, Wesley Fofana, Edouard Mendy and Armando Broja are also unavailable due to injury, while Denis Zakaria is a doubt after going off against Fulham and missing the weekend's win over Crystal Palace.
Liverpool have injury problems of their own, with Virgil van Dijk, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Arthur and Roberto Firmino all expected to be out of action into next month. However, they have hopes that Darwin Nunez and Konstantinos Tsimikas could return for this game.
== Liverpool vs Chelsea suspension ==
Joao Felix is unavailable as he serves the second match of his three-game suspension following a red card at Fulham, with his potential return being at West Ham on 11 February. There are no suspensions for Liverpool.
As the deadline at the halfway mark of the season has passed, no Chelsea player can now be suspended for reaching five yellow cards. Players who accumulate 10 yellow cards in Premier League matches up to and including our 32nd fixture will serve a two-match suspension in the competition.
== Chelsea Premier League booking list ==
Jorginho 4, Azpilicueta 3, C. Gallagher 3, Havertz 3, R. James 3, Koulibaly 3, Kovacic 3, Mount 3, R. Sterling 3, T. Chalobah 2, Cucurella 2, Aubameyang 1, Chilwell 1, L. Hall 1, Loftus-Cheek 1, E. Mendy 1, Pulisic 1, Thiago Silva 1
== Liverpool vs Chelsea referee and VA ==
Referee: Michael Oliver
VAR: John Brooks
Michael Oliver’s two previous Chelsea games this season were away at Southampton and at home to Arsenal.
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Potter explains how Cucurella has had a lot to deal with
20 JAN 2023
There was already one player at Chelsea who Graham Potter was very familiar with on his arrival at the club in September.
Marc Cucurella had already made the same journey to Stamford Bridge from Brighton before the season began and he has been handed 15 games as a Blue under Potter’s management.
However with the left-sided player used as a substitute at Fulham in his most recent appearance, and then remaining on the bench for last weekend’s win over Crystal Palace, Potter was asked in his Friday press conference whether Cucurella is slipping down the pecking order for selection.
‘No, not necessarily,’ the head coach replied. ‘With some players there's some dips in form, and there are different solutions, different options in the game. Lewis Hall has done well. We have to manage his games and his role because he's a young player just starting out.
‘Marc had a lot to deal with in terms of how you settle into a team, how you settle into a club, into a new group. I think it's been challenging for him.’
Potter revealed that the 24-year-old Spaniard has also had some matters off the pitch to deal with.
‘Family-wise,’ he added. ‘That has been difficult for him as well. So there's many factors.
‘Sometimes it's simplistic. You just see the guy on the pitch and you have a verdict on him, but there's all sorts of things going on in his life. Obviously I know Marc well. I know Mark at his best and he is a top player.’
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以下內容出自 football.london：
Every word Graham Potter said on Liverpool vs Chelsea, Klopp, Mudryk, Madueke, James, Chilwell
By Adam Newson, Chief Chelsea correspondent - UPDATED 19:43, 20 JAN 2023
．He (Mudryk) made his fondness of Arsenal clear before signing. Is his heart blue now?
“He’s come in and trained very, very well. He’s happy to be here. All the other stuff I have no comment on. He’s looking forward to his career here and is excited to get started.”
．How many more transfers are likely in this window?
“I don’t think they’ll be too many to be honest.”
．Are you happy with that?
“Absolutely. I’ve not complaints about the squad. I’ve said before that the January window is very complex. You might want A, B, and C but maybe they are not available in terms of positional need. But at the same time, you’re always looking to strengthen the team. We’ve done that and it’s exciting the players we have. When players are back [from injury] there is a good and exciting squad of players.”
．Do you need to move some players on, either in January or the summer?
“You’ve got to constantly analyse the squad, where it is at, and how you can strengthen it. Sometimes it’s adding, sometimes for the good of everybody it is moving out. But that is on a case-by-case basis. We’ll look at it as and when.”
．What would constitute a successful season for you, given your position now?
“Beating Liverpool is my focus. I don’t worry about what is going to happen in five months’ time. We have to keep improving. We’ve been through a really tough time but are still together as a team and club. So that is very positive.
"There is a lot of things to look forward to in terms of the players that are available for us after injury, the players that we’ve signed, they understanding we have as a group has grown because of the time we’ve had. I don’t think, at this point, it’s worth worrying about when the season finishes and what it looks like. We just have to focus on the next game.”
．Are you surprised by Liverpool’s struggles this season?
“No matter who you are – and we’re talking about one of the best teams the Premier League has seen, and one of the best managers the Premier League has seen – if you have injuries you have problems.
"It amazes me that people say the Premier League is the best league in the world and then I’m asked if it’s a surprise someone is struggling. That’s what it is. Jurgen [Klopp] is a fantastic guy and manager. They’ll fix it and come through their struggles. Then we all know their quality.”
．Was the victory over Crystal Palace enough to transform the mood, is it as simple as that?
“No, but we had a period of suffering and it’s nice to win. During that period, we were together, there weren’t flames here. It was a group that understood the position we were in but at the same time, focused and determined to turn things around.
"There was a maturity and intelligence to understand the situation without disrespecting the criticism and noise that comes your way when you don’t get the results you should at Chelsea. The win has been important but it’s just a win. We have to back it up, go to Liverpool, and try to get the three points.”
．You know what it takes to win at Anfield, are you confident you can get the result?
“I’m confident but I respect Liverpool and Anfield. It’s a tough place to go at any point, a fantastic football club. Jurgen is a top manager and they are top team. I like the team at the moment for us, I like we’ve come through a tough spell. There is a good feeling. Players are coming back, new players are arriving, there is a buzz around the training ground that is nice.”
．Is a big challenge for you to ensure all the new players gel
“Yes, it is. You can speak about culture and environment, it’s essentially about people and trying to create a team, a group. That is ultimately my challenge as we go. We’ve had different challenges as I reflect back on my time here and the one going forward is to integrate new players into the group and create a feeling of togetherness. We’ve got a lot of exciting things coming up so we need to be ready.”
．After Liverpool you’ve got the best part of two weeks to work with your squad, how important is that going to be for you as a coach?
“It’s two weeks and it’s an important period for us. When you consider we’ve got new faces and players coming back from injury, it is going to be important and one we’re looking forward to. We have to focus on the game first, get that out of the way and recover. But we’ll use the time as best we can.”
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