Frank Lampard has explained why there was no room for Wesley Fofana in the Chelsea squad to face Bournemouth on Saturday. He had started the last five league games but was replaced by Benoit Badiashile in the starting lineup for the trip to the south coast.
The Blues head into the game without a win in eight having conceded three first half goals in north London on Tuesday but rotated against Gary O'Neil's Cherries with Conor Gallagher, Mykhailo Mudryk and Kai Havertz also coming into the team.
Fofana has struggled with injuries this season having spent most of last year out with a long-term knee setback as well. Lampard revealed that there isn't too much to be concerned about here, though.
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"Fofana had a bit of an issue with his hamstring, yesterday travelling down, so it's more of a precaution on that one," he said. "Other than that, we’ve got a squad, so the players who come in have got to show what they can do."
There was no place for Carney Chukwuemeka in the matchday squad once again whilst Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was also left out. Teenager Lewis Hall was selected on the bench, he hasn't played a minute for Lampard yet.
The interim boss explained the other changes as fitness, rotation and a reaction to the poor performance in mid-week. "It's a bit of both, he said. "More freshness as well at this stage of the season.
"To play with the turnaround of the games and give some people an opportunity who deserve it. Giving them an opportunity to show what they can do.
"The last two games have been about twp halves, in both games. Brentford we were a bit slow, better in the second half so we have to get that together with the performance and then the result can come from that."
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