Dortmund vs Chelsea press conference: Potter updates on three back in
squad
14 FEB 23
Graham Potter will lead Chelsea into the Champions League knockout stages
tomorrow night and on the eve of our first leg against Borussia Dortmund,
our head coach has been speaking about players, including the long-time
absent Wesley Fofana, returning to availability.
By finishing top of our group prior to the World Cup break, Chelsea earned
an away game first in the Round of 16, although we do face an in-form side
with the German outfit having won all six of their games since the
restart, although they have lost eight and drawn two of their last 10
games against English teams in European competition.
Although Raheem Sterling remains absent having missed the draw at West Ham
at the weekend due to a knock to his knee, suffered in training the
preceding week, there are three fresh back from injury – Mateo Kovacic,
Denis Zakaria and Wesley Fofana, the young central defender available
first time since our Champions League home game against AC Milan four
months ago.
‘All three are in the squad so that's good,’
said Potter at his pre-match press conference in Dortmund. ‘Like I said before the previous game, they were getting closer to
minutes. The challenge for us is to build them up and to make sure
they're right from a game-time perspective, but it's good that Wesley,
Denis and Mateo are with the group.’
Another absentee at the London Stadium on Saturday was Kalidou Koulibaly
but the defender has travelled to Germany having recovered from illness.
Benoit Badiashile, who has partnered Thiago Silva in central defence in
recent matches, is one of the players who missed out on being added to our
Champions League squad at the end of the January transfer window. That was
due to the regulations restricting numbers.
Mykhailo Mudryk, Joao Felix and Enzo Fernandez were the new signings added
and all three made the journey to Dortmund.
== Dortmund vs Chelsea suspension ==
There are no suspensions for this game.
Conor Gallagher, Kalidou Koulibaly, Mason Mount and Mykhailo Mudryk are
one yellow card away from a one-match Champions League suspension.
In the Champions League, three yellow cards, as well as any subsequent
odd-numbered caution (fifth, seventh, ninth, etc.) will result in a
one-match suspension in the competition. All yellow cards expire on
completion of the quarter-finals and are not carried forward to the
semi-finals.
== Chelsea booking list ==
Enzo 3 (already served a suspension with Benfica), C. Gallagher 2,
Koulibaly 2, Mount 2, Mudryk 2, Arrizabalaga 1, R. James 1, Kovacic 1, R.
Sterling 1, Thiago Silva 1.
Borussia Dortmund's Julian Ryerson is on two bookings so would miss the
second leg if he receives a yellow in this game.
== Dortmund vs Chelsea injury list ==
Edou Mendy, N’Golo Kante, Christian Pulisic and Armando Broja remain
unavailable as they work on their rehabilitation from injury, and with
those who are fit but not in the squad back in England too, Potter spoke
about the plan for those this week.
‘We trained today [at Cobham] so the players that are out the group had
a good training session,’
he reported.
‘They'll be free tomorrow and will watch the game and then we're back,
so we can train on Thursday.
‘So they don't miss too much in terms of their own preparation. They'll
be available for Southampton. The other players coming back from injury,
Raheem, NG and Christian Pulisic, they'll just be working their way back
at Cobham.’
Potter also spoke about relishing the test of playing one of Europe’s big
clubs at this stage of Europe’s biggest competition.
‘Certainly from the break they [Dortmund] have had a fantastic run.
They're a really organised team that attack well, defended well, and
have got good individuals within there.
‘It's the knockout stage of the Champions League. The absolute pinnacle
in terms of the game. It's a great test playing against a fantastic club
in front of 80,000 here, so a wonderful occasion. We're all looking
forward to the match, we all understand the challenge that awaits us but
are really excited about it.’
-----------------------
Potter talks anger management
15 FEB 2023
Graham Potter has had the opportunity to react to various voices and
printed words since the West Ham game which suggested the Chelsea head
coach should have dealt differently with the decision not to award a late
penalty.
The Hammers’ defender Tomas Soucek stopped a Conor Gallagher shot with his
arm but despite the combination of the on-field referee and the VAR
letting the incident go unpunished, Potter would not be drawn into
lambasting the match officials after the final whistle.
Instead he chose to wryly describe it as a good save (‘You need your
goalkeeper sometimes to get you points.’) and acknowledged that some
decisions go for you and some do not.
That measured response should have been replaced by rage according to some
observers, who compared Potter’s manner with how some other managers would
have dealt with a similar scenario when performing post-match media
duties.
It has led to Potter being asked directly if anything makes him angry.
‘I'm careful not to get into discussions through the media,’
he explained.
‘Of course I get angry, I’m a human being just like everyone. It's just
that I choose to conduct myself the way that I think is the right way to
conduct myself on the side.
‘The same media talking about me being more angry are then running
stories about problems with referees at grassroots football. They don’t
see the connection,’
he pointed out. ‘Indeed just this week there have been reports of hundreds of referees
at that level of the game saying they fear for their safety due to the
abuse they receive.
‘That's not to say that we don't all lose our temper, because we do,
because it's an emotional thing,’
Potter continued.
‘At the same time I think I have a responsibility to myself, to Chelsea
and to the game to act in the way that I think is the right thing for
me. Not for anybody else. But for me.
‘If anyone thinks that you can start a coaching career in the ninth
tier of English football, in the Northern Counties Division One, and get
to this point now with Chelsea in the Champions League without getting
angry, I would suggest they don't know anything about anything.’
---------------------
以下內容出自 football.london：
Every word Graham Potter said on getting angry, Dortmund vs Chelsea,
Mudryk, Cucurella, signings
By Adam Newson, Chief Chelsea correspondent - 18:56, 14 FEB 2023
．Mykhailo Mudryk appeared to like and unlike a meme criticising Marc
Cucurella, is there a problem you need to address as on Saturday it
appeared as though Cucurella didn’t pick up Mudryk’s runs?
“There’s no problem in terms of anything sinister, at all. If anything,
it’s just a case of teammates understanding each other. It’s quite a
common problem in terms of when to pass, at what point, at what point.
Playing against a back five against West Ham, it was difficult to access
the wideman’s feet and it’s an understanding of when to play into space
and when to make the runs. Misha, that’s only his third game with us, so
it’s no problem. It’s just an understanding challenge that is easy to
understand when you recognise the context we’re in.”
．What have you made of Edin Terzic’s career given you know him from
coaching courses?
“It doesn’t surprise me because my first impressions of him were very
positive. Really humble guy, very intelligent, articulate, open-minded,
creative, everything you want in a coach, he has those attributes. If
you look at his career, he’s had a variety of experiences in different
places, done lots of different roles, so there is a nice mix of both
things.
"Then you can see the quality of work he has done recently, since the
break, Dortmund have had a fantastic run. They are a really organised
team that attack well, defend well, and have good individuals within
there. So he’s doing a fantastic job and I’m pleased for him. Obviously,
I want to make it difficult for him in the next couple of games but
after that I wish him well.”
．With so many new players, are they going to have some patience with each
other?
“We’ve got the squad that we have. It’s a squad that we’re really
excited about but at the same time, we know there are challenges and
work we have to do. Whenever you’re forming a new group, if all of us
started to work together, we’d have to take some time, understand what
makes us tick, understand how we can help each other. That is the
impression I get when I see the boys on a daily basis.
"There is a good spirit, good harmony, they’re pushing each other in a
good way. We had a good session today and you can see the guys are
working hard to support the team and each other. So while there are
challenges there are lots of things to be happy about as well.”
．After spending more money in January than five leagues put together, do
you think there is a bigger obligation to win the Champions League and
Premier League? And how can clubs with a smaller budget compete with
Chelsea long-term?
“There is more pressure and expectation that when you spend money you
should win. Thankfully, we know that football doesn’t work exactly like
that. You need resources to win but you need more than that – and that
is the challenge.
"There are things money can’t buy you and that’s where you have to do
your work. My experience is that you have to align your resources very
well, understand the opportunities you have and the strengths you have,
and the way you can compete against teams with more resources than you.
It can be done. Can Brighton win the Premier League four out of five
times? No, probably not I’d say because 95% of leagues are determined by
finance. But if you’re not in those big ones, you want to be in the 5%
that is bucking the trend.
"How you do that is understanding your idea, the opportunity you have,
and align whatever resources you have in a good way. It’s like warfare,
sometime guerrilla warfare can win. You don’t alway have to have the big
guns and the big ammo. But sometimes it helps as well.”
．Do you have an understanding now of the new signings and their
personalities?
"I would say yes and no. You need more than a couple of weeks to get to
know somebody properly, especially someone like Enzo [Fernandez], whose
English is quite limited. But you also get a sense of them as people
because of the interactions they have with the staff and how they
behave. So you see the qualities they have.
"I must admit, I have been really pleased with how the new guys have
settled into the group and how the existing players have helped them.
You’ll speak to Azpi later and he is a fantastic professional and person
who understands the club, what is required to be a Chelsea player, and
has really helped with the process. We’re fortunate to have someone like
him.”
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