-
Potter reveals why Aubameyang wasn’t substituted for Felix after Felix was sent off in Chelsea’s derby loss to Fulham.
Graham Potter has given an explanation for why he didn’t substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang during Chelsea’s loss to Fulham in the local derby.
The Blues, who are going through a terrible stretch of luck, reached a new low on Thursday when they lost 2-1 to their west London neighbours at Craven Cottage.
Debutant Joao Felix saw red in that contest, as his Premier League loan from Atletico Madrid got off to the worst possible start, but Potter opted not to introduce Aubameyang – who is generating exit talk at Stamford Bridge – when looking to salvage something from a contest that has piled even more pressure onto his shoulders.
RELATED:
- Joao Felix makes an unwelcome Chelsea record with red card on debut against Fulham.
- Chelsea FC officially confirm Joao Félix Loan transfer from Atletico Madrid
- Check Out Graham Potter’s reaction to Joao Felix red card
Quizzed on why Aubameyang remained on the bench against Fulham, Potter told reporters: “We had a back five and felt we should go to a 4-4-1 and keep Kai [Havertz] on because I felt he was leading the line and winning challenges and duels.
We wanted to use Hakim [Ziyech] and Carney [Chukwuemeka] to break from wide and Conor [Gallagher] to break from the centre because you know you’re going to get driven back a bit. So that was the thinking.”
Aubameyang finds himself tumbling down the pecking order at Chelsea, with the 33-year-old striker failing to start a game since being hauled off 64 minutes into his reunion with former club Arsenal on November 6.
Aubameyang last scored for Chelsea on October 11 against Milan in the Champions League. Since joining the Blues from Barcelona in the summer, he has only scored once in the Premier League, away at Crystal Palace on October 1.