Prior to Chelsea‘s Saturday afternoon Premier League match against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, Graham Potter has been speaking to the media.
Live updates as Chelsea boss Graham Potter speaks at a press conference on the eve of the London derby against Crystal Palace.
Graham Potter ahead of Crystal Palace:
"I'm sure it will be a nice one. It's a proper football stadium. The boys are ready, though and waiting to play."
On team news: "They're fine in terms of coming through the rehab stages. Kante has been on the grass, but maybe next week for him. Bit of illness for Marc Cucurella."
On difficulty of choosing starting XI: "It's part of the job. You've got to start somewhere, and there are a lot of games to come. The group are looking forward to playing, it's never easy picking a team as we have good options."
On 'crazy' October schedule: "Bring it on. Making sure we use players in the right way, winning matches. That's the challenge in the short term."
On youngsters: “All young players have to hope they get an opportunity. They put themselves there in training and games. If the quality is there, age is no barrier.”
On his first three weeks: "I've been really positively happy how they've welcomed me, players honest. I'm looking forward to getting going tomorrow."
On Aubameyang: "Looking forward to working with him, enjoyed working with him in our brief time together. He's a good guy, focused, wants to play, wants to score. Looking forward to it. He has nothing to prove to me or anything negative in that regard. His career is his career, I have huge respect for that."
π£ Graham Potter on Mendy: "Edou is a bit further on, but hasnβt had enough to be involved at the weekend. Maybe next week for him. π€ So, Mendy & Kante will miss the game tomorrow, while Chukwuemeka and Cucurella are doubtful due to illness.
With nine games scheduled for the Blues in October, the new Chelsea head coach will have a very busy month. Potter, however, is enjoying it and has stated he won’t object to spending more time on the field.
"We've got six weeks and 13 matches, using the players the right way and winning matches in the toughest league in the world," Potter added. "That's the challenge in the short term.
"It's a challenge. It's what I have to deal with and we have to be smart with how we work. In a world with lots of challenges, you don't want to hear me complaining about less time on the pitch."
