Your Chelsea morning digest on Sunday, October 9th.
Van Basten criticism
Netherlands legend Marco van Basten thinks that Hakim Ziyech not playing for Chelsea is a bad look for the game, saying that his position in the squad is sad and a shame.
The 29-year-old has played less than 200 minutes of football this season and was an unused substitute in Graham Potter's matches against AC Milan and Crystal Palace. Ziyech wanted to move away from Stamford Bridge over the summer but didn't get a move away and has a challenge to get back into the side.
With a host of forwards ahead of him in the pecking order and no clear route back into contention, the task of getting a consistent spot in the side became harder as Havertz, Pulisic and Broja all got on the scoresheet in the 3-0 win over Wolves. Ziyech is likely to move on from the club in the next two windows, but Van Basten is still disappointed at how things have turned out.
READ MORE: What happened to Diego Costa after coming off during Chelsea vs Wolves in Premier League
He said, "It is sad and a shame. Ziyech is a great player. We have to see someone like that, we watch TV for such a player, and we come to the stadium. It is a pity for the whole of football that he is on the bench. If these kinds of players do not get minutes, it is not good for football."
Read the full story here.
Jose Mourinho prediction comes true
Jose Mourinho once said that a team of 11 Cesar Azpilicueta's could win the Champions League. His idea didn't quite come to fruition, but the Spaniard did win the competition in 2021 as captain.
Now he has a young prodigy that has overtaken him, Reece James. The fullback has arguably been Chelsea's best player in 2022 and showcased his skills with a goal and an assist against AC Milan in midweek. The 22-year-old has learnt from his teammate and captain, and now the question begs, how many Reece Jameses would you need to win the Champions League?
With more attacking threat and balance across the field than Azpilicueta, James currently looks like one of the most in-form players in world football.
Read the full story here.
Quadruple injury update delivered after Wolves
Chelsea swept aside a manager-less Wolves side by a 3-0 goal margin in the Premier League over the weekend, despite Graham Potter making seven changes to the starting eleven. Post-match, he updated the press with the situation surrounding key stars and their injury/illness/fitness concerns heading into AC Milan next week.
He informed the media: "Thiago [Silva] had a heavy cold at the start of the week but played against Milan. Two days to recover is really short for him, so we didn't want to take the chance there. Ben Chilwell playing three games in a week after recovering from an ACL injury. That wouldn't have been the smartest thing to do to put him out there, especially when we've got Marc Cucurella.
"Reece James had a dead leg that wasn't fully recovered yesterday, so we wanted to give him a bit of extra time and use him at the back end of the game rather than the start. Obviously, we missed Wesley [Fofana] and Mateo Kovacic, three games in a week for him would've been too much as he has been nursing a knee problem. So, again we can use Jorginho and Ruben [Loftus-Cheek].
"Raheem [Sterling] has had a load of football this season, so we thought it would be good for him to have a breather and help us at the back end of the game if we needed him. It's similar with Auba [Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang]. Even though he is in a great moment and forwards rely on rhythm, he hasn't had that much football previous to coming to Chelsea and has had an injury.
"It felt like today was a good chance to give him a breather, and if we needed him at the back end of the game, we could've used him. That was the thinking process."
READ NEXT:
Every word Graham Potter said on Chelsea vs Wolves, Silva absence, Broja, January window, more
Chelsea player ratings as Gallagher impresses, Mount delivers for Pulisic and Havertz vs Wolves
Mason Mount and Kai Havertz replicate Champions League trick during Chelsea vs Wolves
'Unstoppable'- Former Tottenham manager delivers verdict on Chelsea's Armando Broja after Wolves
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