Graham Potter has hinted that he will be sticking with a back-three for the return Champions League last-16 leg against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, explaining why the onus is not just on Kai Havertz to get goals in the team. Having gone to a four-man defence in recent weeks, showing little sign of his acumen for tactical flexibility, Potter admitted that the back-three made Chelsea look more assured.
Graham potter said: “Yeah, I think it would. Obviously it hasn’t been as straightforward as it sounds because we’ve had people dropping off regularly really, which has made it hard to have that consistency that you need, that we want. But in the meantime we have to keep working, which is what we’ve done. But yeah, I thought we had a nice balance about us. We were better in terms of attacking certainly of the first half. And that’s something for us to improve.”
The English pair have had a large portion of goal participation in the past 18 months considering their defensive tendencies and they have been truly missed whilst injured. In their wake there hasn’t been a consistent goalscoring threat or finisher in the team, something that has fallen on the shoulders of Havertz.
The German was defended after another goalless game, though.
Graham Potter said: “I think we have to attack better as a team and that’s my responsibility. It’s too easy to zoom into individuals and blame them. It’s a collective, we have to create more, do better and that starts with me, helping the team get better chances more chances because then I don’t doubt the quality of the players.”
The return of the flying wingbacks also allows some pressure to be taken off Havertz, who hasn’t proved himself to be a reliable forward when it comes to output across his two and a half years in England.
Graham Potter said: “Both of those, Ben and Reece, have been unavailable for us for a long time so we’ve had to find different solutions. But clearly that’s two roles that they’re comfortable in and brings out their quality so something for us to go forward with.”
Chelsea will need them to be on top form against their Bundesliga opponents, a game in which they will need to score at least two goals in if they are to progress outside of penalties. Without James, Chelsea haven’t scored two in a single game since October, a worrying sign, but the good news is that there is a big chance of the 23-year-old being back in the team for European action.
Graham Potter said: “Reece just felt a little bit of tightness. Which is sometimes understandable when he’s coming back from an injury. We’ve been assessing this week; we feel it’s too soon for the game on Saturday, but there’s a strong chance he’ll be available for Tuesday.”
