Graham Potter made a telling call on Wednesday evening in the first half of the 3-0 win over AC Milan. As Wesley Fofana was helped off by Chelsea's medical staff, almost in tears at what appeared another injury setback following his first goal for the club, Trevoh Chalobah was selected to replace the £68m summer signing.
In the previous Champions League game against Red Bull Salzburg, Potter had gone with Cesar Azpilicueta on the right side of his back-three, citing players who knew Chelsea the best in the reasoning for selecting the 33-year-old.
A logical reason for any new coach getting to know his new group of players, but a logic that showed its flaws when the ageing defender struggled to make up ground to cut out Noah Okafor's equaliser for the visitors to deny Potter his first win later that night.
READ MORE: Graham Potter set to address five-year Diego Costa Chelsea question in latest Wolves test
When forced to change against Milan, the experience of Azpilicueta might have been relied upon by his predecessor given the significance of the occasion. But Potter appeared to choose the player whose profile fit the assignment in trying to nullify the relentless running of Rafael Leao. That decision paid off as Chelsea kept only their second clean sheet of the season.
"He [Rafael Leao] is a very good player, as you know – he has got the speed, and I just had to try to match him and stop him," explained Chalobah after the game. "This is it, playing at a big club like Chelsea, you've got to be ready. If you are not playing, you need to know what you need to do better.
"It starts in training. I've been ready for a couple of games now, and I got my chance, and hopefully, I can take it. I felt good stepping on the pitch today. It has been a long time, but it felt good, and I can't wait for the next game."
This was a rare appearance for Chalobah in a season where he has mostly been forced to the fringes. Twelve months ago the complexion was radically different. He was the breakout star of pre-season, remaining with the first team despite loan interest and soon finding a consistent spot ahead of Azpilicueta in Thomas Tuchel's back-three alongside Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger.
The heavy investment in Fofana and only one start that came against Leicester in August has stifled opportunities for Chalobah, with rumours continuing to swirl over a potential exit from Stamford Bridge if his situation does not improve.
"This is my club," Chalobah said when asked about the speculation over his future. "Every time I get the chance, I want to show the manager that I am good enough to play. Any chance I get, I need to do my best and let the manager decide."
Early indications are that Fofana's injury is not as drastic as first predicted. French outlet L'Equipe reporting on Thursday afternoon that a knee sprain is likely to keep the 21-year-old out of action for at least a month, a far cry from the ACL fears touted following an awkward landing against Milan. Potter confirmed these reports on Friday afternoon in his press conference ahead of the visit of Wolves on Saturday.
"Wesley's knee, not as bad as we thought," Potter said. "After the game, we were concerned. It will be a few weeks, I think. Consider it better than it could be but he's out for a few weeks."
One month might look tame but in the congested nature of the current schedule that will still mean missing possibly nine Chelsea fixtures before the World Cup break in November. This opens up a spot in Potter's defence, one that Chalobah is now primed to take following an assured display in midweek.
Chalobah should be ahead of Azpilicueta in the pecking order given his long-term form and the attributes that better suit a proactive style of defending, which usually demands the wider defenders in a back-three engage the opposition earlier and naturally cover more ground.
It feels ironic that it is another twist of fortune that could benefit Chalobah's minutes, given it was the failure to land Jules Kounde in the summer of 2021 that effectively gave him a solid spot in the first-team squad. Although this twist may seem temporary, there is more than enough time for Chalobah to make a good impression.
READ NEXT:
Reece James 'tremendous' Chelsea moment breaks Roman Abramovich curse to set new trend
Graham Potter switch uncovers new Chelsea wildcard to fulfil Thomas Tuchel promise
Christopher Nkunku Chelsea transfer audition justifies Todd Boehly call for Graham Potter plan
Wesley Fofana injury, N'Golo Kante - Chelsea questions Graham Potter must answer ahead of Wolves
Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: All the latest news, rumours and gossip from Stamford Bridge
