Potter keen to unleash Sterling on Dortmund
06 MAR 2023
Graham Potter has highlighted Raheem Sterling’s pedigree as being an important part of Chelsea’s quest to overturn the deficit in our Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund.
Our head coach has been able to welcome the England international back from injury for the three games that have been played since the first leg, including Saturday’s welcome win over Leeds United. With Sterling having scored 26 goals and supplied 22 assists in the 79 Champions League games he has played in his career, there is every reason to hope he can contribute as the Blues go about seeking the goals needed after our narrow 1-0 defeat in Germany.
‘You could see the quality that Raheem brings,’ Potter said about the Stamford Bridge outing for the player at the weekend. ‘If he's enjoying his football he is a really important player for us. In the last two home games you could see what he brings. He attacks the back line well.
‘He's still building up because of the hamstring problem he had. He is getting stronger and stronger every minute, so that was the thinking behind bringing him off because we want to make sure he's ready for Tuesday, but I thought he contributed really well, especially in the first half.
‘Raheem’s goalscoring record in the Champions League speaks for itself,’ Potter continued. ‘He's an experienced, proven campaigner in that competition and we're looking forward to having him on the pitch on Tuesday, hopefully enjoying his football and contributing to us winning and going through.’
Against Leeds, Sterling played in the front three as the formation was switched to a 3-4-3 for the game. After the win that followed, Potter says he thinks it would be of benefit if the side can line up with a settled shape for a few games.
‘Obviously it hasn't been as straightforward as it sounds because we've had people dropping off [with injury] almost regularly really,’ he adds, ‘which has made it hard to have that consistency that you need and we want. But in the meantime, we have to keep working, which is what we've done, but we had a nice balance about us. It was better in terms of attacking, certainly in the first half against Leeds.’
The formation on Saturday allowed wing-backs to be used and although Reece James was missing with a tight hamstring, Ben Chilwell was able to be used in a role in which he has excelled previously.
‘Ben and Reece have been unavailable for a long time so we had to find different solutions but clearly, those are roles that they're comfortable in and brings out their quality, so it is something for us to go forward with,’ noted Potter.
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球隊現有人員的確是 343 最適合。
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