Graham Potter has explained his decision to start both Trevoh Chalobah and Jorginho in Chelsea's Champions League group stage clash with AC Milan. Neither of the Blues duo began the reverse fixture when the two side's met at Stamford Bridge last week.
Though they did eventually feature, making cameos off the bench as the west London waltzed to a 3-0 victory. Chalobah was brought on to replace Wesley Fofana in the opening half an hour after sustaining a knee sprain.
Mateo Kovacic made way for Jorginho in the second-half but, by then, Chelsea had already scored their third and final goal of the evening in what was a historic night. Having impressed Potter, the pair have been granted starts against Milan as the Blues boss looks to continue the club's great vein of form.
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Speaking to BT Sport, Potter explained why Chalobah and Jorginho warrant starts against the Italian giants under the lights at the San Siro. Starting with the Cobham graduate, the 47-year-old said: "Yeah, but he (Chalobah) came on and did really well for Wesley (Fofana). [Rafael] Leao on that side is a dangerous player but Trevor is a competent player in that position and it is a big night for him. Jorginho’s experience will be important, he knows the stadium well."
In the BT Sport studio, Joe Cole and Rio Ferdinand spoke on how the San Siro atmosphere could affect Chalobah's performance. The former Chelsea midfielder said: "It’s a great atmosphere and it is a great game for Chalobah because he has a big test against Leao and it will be a good game for him tonight.
"He has Reece James alongside him, Thiago Silva, it is going to be a one on one battle," Cole added. "It is an opportunity now not only to put him in the shop window at Chelsea, but there are opportunities opening up for England. There is always someone that comes out of the blue. He is a real talent and has been one of the players who has benefited from Potter coming in."
Ferdinand chipped in and argued that Chalobah must take advantage of Fofana's absence. The former Manchester United defender said: "His mindset has got to be now, Fofana has come in for £80million and says, that does not phase me, he is out of the team now. This is my opportunity and he has got to believe that if I play well, my manager will let me keep the shirt."
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