Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic has told manager Graham Potter which formation he feels the club should be adopting moving forward. After missing their previous defeat to Tottenham due to illness, the 28-year-old was reinstated into Potter’s line-up against Leeds United for Saturday’s 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge.
Kovacic was one of three changes to the side that lost in north London, with defenders Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana coming in for the injured Thiago Silva and Reece James. This saw the under-fire manager revert to a back-three system, something that pleased the Croatian.
Speaking to the club website after the game, Kovacic said: “We prepared the goal well in training because we know that Wesley is good in the air. I think the formation worked really well.
READ MORE: Three things spotted at Chelsea training: Reece James returns ahead of Borussia Dortmund clash
“We prepared it good in training and we're used to this system since a long time, so it's a familiar one. We had a good game but the most important is that we continue.”
Potter reaped the rewards of returning to a back-three defence by leading his side to a much-needed three points. In what was previously dubbed the start of a “make or break” week for the Blues management, the former Brighton boss finally found a way to set up his expensively assembled squad in a successful manner.
This particular system will have likely brought back plenty of happy memories for Chelsea fans, as it was favoured by both Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel in more triumphant times for the club. However, it was also a set-up that Potter had already tried in his relatively brief Chelsea reign, but without the same results.
The incoming Fofana and Badiashile were joined in the heart of Chelsea’s defence by Kalidou Koulibaly, while Ben Chilwell and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were given the wing-back berths. Should Potter opt to continue with this formation for the crunch Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, he should also have Reece James back available, with the 23-year-old having already demonstrated his ability at fulfilling the right wing-back role.
Speaking after Saturday’s match, Potter agreed with Kovacic regarding the side’s optimal formation. Admitting the back-three made Chelsea look more assured, he said: "Yeah, I think it would. Obviously it hasn’t been as straightforward as it sounds because we’ve had people dropping off regularly really, which has made it hard to have that consistency that you need, that we want.
"But in the meantime we have to keep working, which is what we’ve done. But yeah, I thought we had a nice balance about us. We were better in terms of attacking certainly of the first half. And that’s something for us to improve."
READ NEXT:
Every word Graham Potter said on Chelsea win, substitutions, Koulibaly, Fofana, Chilwell, more
Latest Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund injury news as seven to miss tie with Reece James update
Graham Potter discovers N'Golo Kante alternative in Leeds win ahead of Chelsea injury return
Paul Merson tells Graham Potter how to turn Chelsea fortunes around with one major change
Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: All the latest news, rumours and gossip from Stamford Bridge
