Chelsea injuries and fitness: Sterling, Kovacic, Zakaria, Fofana
Before Chelsea face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday, The Pride of London detail Blues injury and fitness news. This includes information on stars such as Raheem Sterling, Mateo Kovacic, Denis Zakaria, Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly.
Even though the CFC roster is now sufficiently reinforced, some key personnel remain unavailable. Fofana and Kovacic in particular are missed, in my opinion; the Frenchman is likely destined for longevity as centreback at Stamford Bridge.
Meanwhile, despite not always being fit, nobody has the composure of the Croatian. And when will Sterling come back into contention? Let’s see what Graham Potter said at his pre-match press conference:
"We know Raheem Sterling hasn’t travelled, but could Wesley Fofana, Denis Zakaria and Mateo Kovacic return tomorrow?“All three are in the squad, so that is good. As I said before the previous game, they are getting closer to minutes but the challenge for us is to build them up so they are right from a game time perspective. But it’s nice Wesley, Mateo and Denis are with the group.”football.london"
Furthermore, there was insight on Twitter:
"Raheem Sterling and David Datro Fofana did not train for #Chelsea ahead of their #UCL clash against Borussia Dortmund. Mateo Kovacic, Denis Zakaria, Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly were all on the training pitch.Via Scott Trotter"
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More from Graham Potter’s Chelsea press conference
Other topics were spoken on at the presser. One section caught my attention in particular. As I also cover Leicester City, passionless managers are something I am aware of. Maybe that is harsh to say in respect to Brendan Rodgers, but I know the Blue Army would like to see him more animated at times of on-pitch crisis. If players make continuously bad errors, some spectators want the boss to give them an ear-bashing.
The same can be said of the CFC fan base regarding the almost too laid back Graham Potter. It is just not in some people’s temperaments – remarkably, for these typically temperamental football gaffers – to become visibly annoyed. They are possibly seething under the surface – which is surely unhealthy – but they just do not lose their cool for all to see. I cannot relate.
Potter was asked about his disposition when things go wrong for Chelsea on the field of play, and his seemingly overly composed reactions. When journalists enquired as to what makes the former Brighton & Hove Albion chief angry, they really set him up as he wittily responded ‘apart from these questions?!’.
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The 47-year-old admitted that he occasionally gets upset, as all human beings do. In addition to that, he said that he believes his touchline conduct is appropriate; Potter also shrewdly pointed out that the same media criticising him are the ones ironically complaining about sideline antics at all levels.