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Graham Potter hits back at accusations he’s wasting Chelsea star, Raheem Sterling.
Chelsea boss Graham Potter has reacted to accusations that he is wasting the attacking potential of Raheem Sterling and insists the forward has ‘never’ been asked to play wing-back.
Sterling scored during Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge, snapping a streak of ten games without a goal.
The 27-year-old’s been shifted around since Potter’s appointment and many have accused the former Brighton boss of playing Sterling in an unorthodox wing-back role.
Wesley Fofana, N’Golo Kante, and Reece James have all recently been injured for Chelsea, and Kepa and Mateo Kovacic have also missed time due to injury.
Potter claims that the injuries prompted him to change things up, but he insists that Sterling was not used as a wing-back.
‘Well, we’ve tried to play him as high and wide as we can, Potter told reporters after Chelsea’s win against the Croatians.
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‘I know there is a lot of talk about him being a wing-back, but I played as a wing-back and I can assure you that Raheem has never played as a wing-back! He has never been asked to play and defend in a back five or back four even. His responsibility has always been against the full-back.
‘With the back four behind him tonight probably helped, he was a little bit higher and a little bit wider. It was nice for him to score because he has been working hard for the team. As I said before, the team has to function well for the individuals to do well. So I’m really pleased he got his goal today.’
There has been concern that Sterling might not even make England’s World Cup squad due to his recent struggles in front of goal.
Potter, however, maintains that Sterling has done what he must to for the team and that his talent is undeniable.
‘We’ve had an incredibly challenging October,’ said Potter.
‘We came in and faced one point in two matches in the Champions League, were in a situation where we had to get results, lost key players in Wesley Fofana and Reece James, and there is always a little bit of stability that is affected when that happens. With a game every two or three days, it’s not straightforward to find the right solutions.
‘In the end, we’ve had one defeat in eleven. Yesterday, we talked about pressure and that’s the life we have. Everyone has to try their best and I am happy for Raheem that he scored. No one is doubting his quality here, that is for sure.’