Ralph Hasenhuttl
ARMANDO Broja is among the players Ralph Hasenhuttl has admitted is ready for a Premier League start, but the boss insists: “It is not about who deserves to play, it is about what we need.” The 20-year-old Albanian frontman changed the game from the substitutes bench after his St Mary’s introduction against West Ham, where within minutes he had rattled the post, had a header cleared off the line and made general mincemeat of Hammers’ defenders. But the Austrian has moved to confirm that what he believes the team needs to get the best result reigns supreme, and with a rebuttal that could suggest Broja might have to wait for a second-half chance once again. On whether Broja is ready,
Ralph Hasenhuttl said: “Yes. I think we have a few players who are ready to start in the Premier League. The good thing is that I have the choice now. Last season, if you were fit you would have played. This season we have a lot of quality and things that we can try. It is not about who deserves to play, it is about what we need in these games.”
Che Adams, who started each of the first three Premier League matches, didn’t make it onto the pitch last weekend after he had returned from international duty with Scotland, and will also be waiting in the wings hopeful that he can offer the team something. Given the immediate impact that fellow Chelsea academy star Tino Livramento has made, it’s no surprise that many are already excited about the potential for Broja to perform at the highest level this campaign – particularly after a prolific spell in the Dutch Eredivisie as a warm-up last year.
Ralph Hasenhuttl added: “I told the players today that it will sometimes seem unfair when they have a good game and then are not playing but when you need something different, you change. I don’t want to speak too much about what we have planned but surprising Pep (Guardiola), it doesn’t take long for him to work it out and counter it. We are ready for this battle and the goal is to keep the game open for as long as possible.”
