Hat-trick: Chelsea made it three wins from three this week with victory over Wolves
(Picture: AP)Graham Potter believes his Chelsea side have made real progress since the international break, after they continued their unbeaten run since he took over.
The Blues’ 3-0 victory over Wolves made it three wins in a week, following the last-minute drama against Crystal Palace and then the emphatic performance against AC Milan at Stamford Bridge.
Kai Havertz put Chelsea in front seconds before the break against Wolves, and Christian Pulisic and Armando Broja then got on the scoresheet in the second-half to cap a perfect afternoon in west London.
Potter’s focus now turns back to the Champions League, with the Blues travelling to the San Siro to face AC Milan on Tuesday night, and the Chelsea boss knows his team will go into that clash full of confidence.
“It’s exciting, it’s been a really strong week,” Potter told BBC Sport.
“It’s not easy, going Wednesday and Saturday. Credit to the players. It’s a strong performance, especially in the first half. We had to hang on a bit in the second half but overall we deserved to win.
He added: “The week we’ve just had has been fantastic. We’ve made steps with the group with how we’re acting. The attitude of players has been really good. Their effort to what we’ve been trying to do is fantastic. They’re a good group to work with.
“A happy afternoon.”
The win was made even more satisfying by the fact Potter made seven changes to the starting lineup, with Thiago Silva, Reece James and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang among those to drop out of the rotated side.
It gave Pulisic and Havertz the chance to find the back of the net, while Conor Gallagher was another who took his chance impressively with a standout display in midfield.
With so much strength in depth, keeping those who are not regularly involved happy is a a big test for Potter.
“My experience is that players, no matter the level, want to play and you have to respect that,” the Chelsea boss said.
“At the same time, it’s part of the deal with coming to a club like Chelsea that there is a lot of competition and you have to fight to play in the team, be ready to help the team, and be ready to play your role.
“All you can do as a head coach is communicate the reasons why and sort of admit that you’re not always right. But we are doing it with good intentions and it is important we have a strong group, a strong collective, because it’s really difficult to achieve anything without that.”
