Graham Potter has told talkSPORT he’s enjoying having plenty of options when selecting his Chelsea teams.
Forward Armando Broja, who is also his manager, agrees that there is a lot of competition for places. The BluesIn the right direction.
The ex-Brighton boss has taken Chelsea to the next level since taking over from Thomas Tuchel last week, winning three and drawing one of his first four matches at Stamford Bridge.
On Saturday, the Blues won 3-0 at home against WolvesKai Havertz, Christian Pulisic, and ArmandoBroja all scored.
This was despite a lower line-up that included stars such as Rahem Sterling, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, and Reece James who were all unable to play due to the Champions League away match at Milan.
And Potter told talkSPORT he was pleased to know that even with a few of Chelsea’s best players missing from his line-up, they can still win comfortably.
“Yeah, absolutely [I’m pleased]” Potter said, “The team’s not at its maximum that’s for sure.
“But I think you have to have a foundation which is what we’re seeing at the moment which is a great attitude, a great effort on the pitch, people sacrificing themselves for each other and working hard as a team.
“I thought today was a step forward in our attacking play and creating chances. We’ll get better, it’s a process.
“I could complain about not having much time on the pitch and games coming thick and fast and so its not as easy on the training round. But in the end you have to work with what you have and we’ve used it quite well.”
Despite fielding a weaker line-up on Saturday, some of Chelsea’s players’ performances against Wolves mean they may now be pushing towards Potter’s preferred XI.
Academy graduate Conor Gallagher, who’s broken through to the first team this season, put in a great shift in midfield, whilst substitute Armando Broja got on the scoresheet.
Potter insists that having many players to choose is a good thing. His side looks to be growing stronger.
“It’s better to have a selection headache than no options,” he said.
“We’ve got a lot of options and a lot of good players, everyone’s pushing to play. It’s good because you need that spirit and competition to push everybody forward.
“It means everybody has to be ready, because clearly with the game schedule we have it’s impossible to play the same eleven. You have to use the group and use the squad.”
21-year-old Broja, who scored his first ever goal for Chelsea on Saturday afternoon to put his side 3-0 up, is one of the players that will be fighting for a space in Potter’s side.
When asked if he was happy to finally get off the mark, the youngster replied that he was only pleased to help his team.
And he also said rather than seeing fellow centre-forwards as competition, he’s seeing them as inspiration.
“I was just focused on coming on and helping the team as much as possible with holding the ball up,” Broja – who was on loan at Southampton last season – told talkSPORT.
“[Mateo] Kovacic’s pass gave me the opportunity to go forward and have a chance at goal, so I’m thankful I did get the goal and it’s a bonus really.”
“As a young player, I look up to [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang and [Kai]Havertz, all of us look up to the great players.
“It’s nice to be working with them and learning off them, I’ve just been picking up stuff they’ve done in training and throughout their careers so it’s really good.
“It’s like a big family here, so we all know the competition’s massive so we just need to keep going.”
