Chelsea vs Everton press conference: Kante return update and Mount and
Sterling injury news
17 MAR 2023
Graham Potter has revealed Mason Mount will not join up with the England
squad in the forthcoming international break because of injury, but the
head coach had better news today regarding the availability of N’Golo
Kante for Chelsea’s game against Everton.
Mount hasn’t featured for the Blues since last month, while Kante's
absence dates all the way to August.
Speaking to the media at his press conference to preview tomorrow’s
fixture against the Toffees, Potter provided an update on the midfielder
as well as Raheem Sterling, also not in the England squad, and Kante, back
in training in recent weeks.
‘There is a chance for him to be in the squad,’
reported Potter.
‘It would be the first time [since Potter took charge] so it’s
fantastic. Managers before me have spoken very highly of N’Golo because
he’s a top, top player.
‘He’s been a huge miss to us. That’s not to say the other players
haven’t given absolutely everything because they have, but N’Golo Kante
is N'Golo Kante. A top player.
‘It’s great for us he’s back. We need to be mindful of the fact he’s
had a long injury. We need to be mindful of the fact he’s had a long
injury and we need to take the next steps to get him up to speed in the
Premier League, which is what we’ll do.’
Potter also confirmed Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta were still
absent, and he will be without two other regulars for the Everton game.
'Raheem has a problem with his hamstring,'
reported Potter.
'It’s not too serious but he’ll miss the game at the weekend and he’ll
miss the international break.
'It’s the same as Mason. Mason has been struggling a little bit with
his pubic bone. He wasn’t 100 per cent the last game and is still not
quite there, so he will miss the England camp as well.'
Potter was in a jovial mood at Cobham, and after a video of him at a Club
Chelsea event last night went viral on social media, in which he
underlined our desire to win the Champions League, the head coach detailed
the positive sentiment around the club at the moment.
From Graham Potter to the fans 🤣💙 he actually has a bit of personality, go on GAFFA! pic.twitter.com/1YyQnPwMHE
— MrSkipTheVWR 🤖🐐 (@DremGetsTickets) March 16, 2023
‘After three wins you have to say life is better. Results give
everybody a bit of belief and a bit of happiness, and that’s what we’re
here for, we’re here to win.
‘Results weren’t good enough and we all have to take responsibility for it. It’s handy to have luck, it’s important, but you can’t wait for that to come around.
‘You have to keep going and fight through the storm. There was a storm for a period of time, absolutely, but we’ve come out of it with three wins and now we need to carry on.’
== Chelsea vs Everton injury list ==
Reece James and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed last week's win at
Leicester due to injury and illness, while Mount and Azpilicueta have not
featured since last month, the former picking up a knock in training and
our skipper being monitored in accordance with concussion protocols.
Armando Broja remains unavailable as he continues to work on his
rehabilitation and Thiago Silva is also ruled out. Edouard Mendy has
returned to training.
Everton manager Sean Dyche has ruled out winger Andros Townsend until at
least the end of April due to injury, while striker Dominic
Calvert-Lewin's chances of recovering from a thigh problem in time to
feature in tomorrow's game seem slim. However, Nathan Patterson could
return at full-back, after featuring for Everton's Under-23s in recent
weeks.
== Chelsea vs Everton suspension ==
There are no suspensions for either side in this match.
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.
== Premier League booking list ==
C. Gallagher 5, Havertz 4, Koulibaly 4, Kovacic 4, Mount 4, Azpilicueta 3,
T. Chalobah 3, Cucurella 3, R. James 3, R. Sterling 3, W. Fofana 2,
Aubameyang 1, Badiashile 1,
Chilwell 1, L. Hall 1, Kepa 1, Loftus-Cheek 1,
E. Mendy 1, Pulisic 1, Thiago Silva 1,
Ziyech 1.
== Chelsea vs Everton referee and VAR ==
Referee: Darren England
VAR: Chris Kavanagh
Darren England is refereeing Chelsea for the first time in the Premier
League. His only other Blues match was our home FA Cup tie against
Morecambe in January 2021.
-------------------------
https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/potter-reacts-to-our-champions-league-tie-with-real-madrid
Potter reacts to our Champions League tie with Real Madrid
17 MAR 2023
Graham Potter says the overriding feeling ahead of our mouth-watering
Champions League tie with Real Madrid is excitement.
The draw confirmed there will be a re-run of our quarter-final last
season, in which we were narrowly defeated, although we will play the
second leg at home this time.
We have lost just one of our seven European meetings with the Champions
League's record winners, and our head coach is relishing making that
another two games unbeaten come April.
'I said we would try and win the Champions League! That is the same for
the other seven clubs. You can always lose in the quarter-final as that
is the nature of the Champions League. We will focus on Real Madrid when
we get there, but at the moment it is Everton,'
Potter said at his press conference.
'The feeling is excitement, but I would rather speak on Everton as that
is the game tomorrow and the other stuff is a long way away.'
Potter was also asked to comment on the qualities of Madrid's head coach,
Carlo Ancelotti, who of course managed Chelsea between the years of 2009
and 2011.
‘I do not know him personally, but I have faced him when he was at
Everton. I know he is a gentleman. It goes without saying, the amount of
respect I have for him and what he has achieved is amazing, the length
of time between winning the Champions League, 20 years, that is amazing
and incredible.’
----------------------
Potter issues Mount injury England update
18 MAR 2023
Having ruled Mason Mount out of this weekend’s Premier League meeting with
Everton during his press conference on Friday afternoon, Graham Potter has
given his thoughts on the player being named in the latest England squad
the day before.
Mount has been troubled by a pubic bone injury with our head coach
confirming in the conference he will also miss England’s matches against
Italy and Ukraine. Potter has now discussed that further and confirmed he
was surprised when Mount’s name was one of four Chelsea players in the
Three Lions squad.
‘He's never been available as far as I am aware,’
said Potter.
‘He needed a bit of time for his injury to settle down which has pretty
much ruled him out of England. Whether that meant they needed a bit of
time to double-check that, I don't know.
‘I don’t think there is anything untoward at all,’
Potter emphasised. ‘It's more that sometimes with these things he can be named and yet
there's still a couple of days where things can be changed. But from my
selection perspective he wasn't available for the weekend.’
As with Raheem Sterling’s hamstring strain which Potter hopes the attacker
will have recovered from for the Chelsea games after the international
break, Mount’s absence may not be a lengthy one.
‘It's just a bit the niggly one,’
Potter reported.
‘He’ll have days when he feels good and then days when he has had
setbacks. Hopefully if we can manage it through this period, he might be
okay.’
-------------------------
N'Golo Kante in Chelsea squad to face Everton
18 MAR 2023
Graham Potter has confirmed that N'Golo Kante is fit enough to be named in
Chelsea's squad to face Everton this evening.
The Frenchman last played for the Blues in our 2-2 draw with Tottenham
Hotspur way back in August and despite nearing a return in the winter
months, his spell in the treatment room was prolonged due to surgery.
The midfielder's return is a timely and huge boost for Graham Potter's
squad, with his experience and guile in the engine room thoroughly missed.
The Blues play nine games in April once the international break finalises.
He has played in just two of our 32 matches so far this term, but could
feature tonight, says Potter.
'N'Golo is back for the weekend. He is in the squad, which is fantastic
news for everybody. We have missed him a lot with his injury, it is
great that he is back.
'We must be careful with him as he has been out for a while but
nevertheless delighted he is back in the squad,'
he added.
'We are looking forward to seeing him back on the pitch!'
------------------------
Potter relishes test against Dyche’s Toffees
18 MAR 2023
Graham Potter was switching from coaching at non-league level in Yorkshire
to his overseas job in Sweden in the year when his opposite number today,
Sean Dyche, was embarking on his own managerial career at one of the clubs
he had played for, Watford.
A high-profile decade at Burnley followed before Dyche’s recent
appointment at Everton, while Potter’s passage to Chelsea via Swansea and
Brighton is well-known.
Ahead of pitting their wits against each other at Stamford Bridge today,
our head coach talks about their journeys to this stage and taking on a
Dyche team, which he has done on plenty of occasions before.
‘With coaching, we all have to take our own path,’
Potter observes.
‘Whether you’re a top player and you end up in coaching or whether
you're a player that has hardly played and you go all the way up, there
is no one way to do it.
‘For sure me and Sean are completely different personalities but that's
not to say that my way is better than his or his is better than mine.
He'll be him and I'll be me.
‘He’s a fantastic coach,’ Potter
adds.
‘What he did at Burnley was a fantastic achievement, and you can see
the effect he’s had on Everton. They play to their strengths. They’re
incredibly motivated, they know what they’re doing in all the
phases.
‘We’re under no illusions how difficult the game is but it’s a
fantastic test for us at home in front of our supporters, and we have to
play well.’
The Toffees’ set-pieces is one area our head coach acknowledges will need
careful attention by his players today, but it is not the only one.
‘They are strong in that area, the data suggests that, but they do a
lot well. They defend well, they defend high, they defend low. They
attack with clarity and use the resources they have well.
‘I have huge respect for Sean Dyche because of how he plays, how he
affects the team and how he affects the players, so it’s a tough
game.’
-------------------------
Every word Graham Potter said on Real Madrid, Everton, James, Kante
return, Mount, Sterling
By Adam Newson, Chief Chelsea correspondent - 14:16, 17 MAR 2023
．You did seem a little bit more relaxed in that video compared to a
couple of weeks ago?
"It was a nice event in front of a thousand or so supporters. The
atmosphere was good. It was a good evening."
．Did you have to overcome some doubts?
"It's a difficult moment for us all connected with the club because the
results weren't what we wanted. We all have to deal with that and I have
to take that responsibility. If the results aren't good enough, I accept
whatever criticism comes my way and I have to deal with that. You have
to come through the tough moments. It's all very well managing Chelsea
when it's all going well. You have to deal with it when it's not going
so well. I tried to do that as best I could."
．Thoughts on Patrick Vieira being sacked by Crystal Palace?
"It's never nice to hear when a colleague loses their job. I have huge
respect for Patrick; he is a gentleman. I think the way he has conducted
himself has been exemplary. But that's football and the business. We're
at the mercy of that and it's not for me to say what clubs should and
shouldn't do. It's part of the job but I wish him well. He's a top
person and a top manager."
．Is being a Premier League manager becoming more precarious?
"I wouldn't use the word precarious. Difficult yes, but it's the
highest level so it shouldn't be easy. We all go into it with our eyes
open. We know the consequences and you have to deal with them. We speak
a lot about perspective and there are a lot of people worse off than us.
So nobody is asking for pity or sympathy. But it's a pressurised job
because football is emotional and means a lot to people. So we're under
scrutiny and pressure and we have to deal with it."
．Where do you think Chelsea will finish in the Premier League?
"Where we are now is to focus on Everton. There are three points up for
grabs against a tough team, a team that has gone in the right direction
with Sean. They play to their strengths and that's all we can focus on.
We don't worry about what we're going to do in May or June. We're going
to focus on tomorrow."
．Is it right to fly to away games in the UK given the impact it has?
"It's something we increasingly have to look at and something we have
to do better with. That is my personal opinion and that isn't to say
it's straightforward because they are factors. But it is an area we can
improve."
．You've used a back three in the last three games, what made you decide
that was the right system for you?
"We had a couple of injuries which can change the dynamic of our side.
We looked at the performance of the team and thought we needed to adjust
things. The back three felt a better way for us to go. In terms of how
we attack and defend, it felt better for us."
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