“Never start them together, You will lose that match” – Graham Potter urges not to start these 2 Chelsea stars together in any games
Graham Potter, the new manager of Chelsea, has been cautioned against starting two of his defenders simultaneously in the Premier League. Former Brighton manager was advised not to pair Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta together on the field by football analyst Andy Jacobs. He said it following the 1-1 UEFA Champions League match with Red Bull Salzburg.
In contrast to more youthful possibilities like Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly, Potter elected to start two of his experienced defenders against RB Salzburg. The team suffered a great deal as a result of the two senior players’ failure to perform as planned.
In the moments leading up to Salzburg’s goal, the Brazilian attempted to challenge but was unsuccessful, and the scorer inside the box outwitted Azpilicueta. This season, Chelsea has yet to record their first Champions League victory. Their former manager Thomas Tuchel was fired after they lost their opening game to Dynamo Zagreb.
Jacobs and other football analysts questioned Potter’s tactics for starting Silva and Azpilicueta in the Champions League encounter.
Speaking to TalkSPORT, Jacobs advised Potter not to start Silva and Azpilicueta in his next match to avoid losing the game. He said:
“If you play Thiago Silva and Azpilicueta together in a Premier League game, you will lose that match.”
However, Chelsea spent close to £300 million to bring in reinforcements in the summer transfer window after several big players left the club. However, the club had a shaky start to the season and Tuchel paid a heavy cost for it. He was sacked without any formal communication by the club authorities.
Soon after Tuchel was sacked, Potter was announced as his replacement. The former Brighton manager has only managed one game and the challenges have been thrown at him since Day 1. Potter will have to find his perfect starting XI soon to stabilize the ship and improve the club’s position in the table.