Former Chelsea and Arsenal defender William Gallas has told Graham Potter he must play Raheem Sterling in a front three against the Gunners in Sunday's crunch Premier League clash.
Sterling resumed to his preferred position in mid-week against Dinamo Zagreb and got himself back on to the scoresheet with a well-taken goal inside the area. The strike was the forward's first goal since the end of August and handed Potter food for thought over his team selection ahead of this weekend.
The Blues welcome Premier League leaders and London rivals Arsenal to Stamford Bridge on Sunday looking to respond to last week's surprise 4-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion. The Gunners have endured one of their best starts to a season this term with 10 wins in the opening 12 goals and find themselves two points ahead of Manchester City.
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Ahead of the game, Gallas, who made 225 appearances for Chelsea and 142 for Arsenal, has been discussing the form of the England international and urged Potter to play him in his attack rather than a temporary wing-back. Speaking to Genting Casino, he said: "If Graham Potter wants to get the best from Raheem Sterling, he has to play on the right or left of a three, that’s how Sterling was being used at a high level before at Liverpool and Manchester City.
"He’s always played there. So for me it is difficult to understand why, sometimes, a manager wants to play players out of position. After the Zagreb win, I think Potter has to play Sterling in a front three and not how he used him in the last match when he was playing wing-back. It was very difficult for Sterling to play there. Play him in his position and let him do what he needs to do.
"For the World Cup, Gareth Southgate knows his players better than me, so the manager has to decide who is going to be in the starting 11. He’ll be watching closely because the World Cup is in weeks. With Sterling, I know the manager has many players up front so he has to pick the best 11, the players who are in the best shape."
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