Only two days of rest separated Chelsea’s crucial victory over AC Milan and its battle at the Bridge against a regressing Wolverhampton Wanderers squad. With six games in 16 days over the next few weeks to close out the month of October, Graham Potter made an astounding seven changes to the starting IX on Saturday afternoon. With Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all taking a hiatus for the day, Potter turned to some of Cobham’s best alongside some players desperate for consistent minutes to do the job against a team that is still searching for a solution at the top of their coaching ladder after sacking Bruno Lage just hours after its Premier League defeat to West Ham last weekend.
From Conor Gallagher’s constant motor in the attack to Trevoh Chalobah continuing to show his worth as one of the Blues’ most reliable centerbacks, Chelsea’s performance against Wolves was everything Potter could have asked and more. Seeing Armando Broja find the back of the net for the third and final goal of Chelsea’s afternoon was the cherry on top of it all, scoring his first goal for the club that he joined at just eight years old back in 2009. Carney Cukumenka even got the chance to see the pitch for the first time, making his Chelsea debut in the 86’ at the young age of 18. With a free-flowing formation, Potter allows that freedom that young players seek as they begin to come up in the senior game.
Following the match, Potter hailed the academy players for playing an intricate role in the Blues’ triumph:
"“They’re vital. They bring an understanding of the club, of the culture of the club, its demands, and what is required in terms of environment. They’ve come through a fantastic education in the academy. They are good people and good footballers. Our job is to help them maximize their potential which is really exciting.”"