Chelsea manager Graham Potter has explained his decision to take David Datro Fofana off for Raheem Sterling at half-time in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Southampton.
Sterling brought a lot of energy to the Chelsea side in the second half and was very close to scoring twice.
The England international arguably had the most significant impact on the game among Chelsea attackers.
It was arguably the right decision from Potter.
Introducing Sterling at the expense of Fofana, however, likely raised a few eyebrows.
Fofana’s operating on the left flank, while Mason Mount led the attack up front, was a strange tactical decision — if it was even a tactical decision.
Still, the 20-year-old was the only natural striker on the pitch.
Potter admitted it was a difficult decision, but he eventually opted for an additional wide attacker.
“To use Raheem in the wide areas,” Potter said in his post-match press conference when asked about Fofana’s substitution.
“It was a tricky one for David and not a reflection on him.”
Chelsea scored just one goal in their last five matches in all competitions and 23 goals in 23 games in the Premier League.
To put into perspective, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has already scored 26 goals this season.
Based on their recent games, it is pretty clear that a lack of chances is not the issue.
There are no more transfer windows to help Chelsea solve this issue until the summer.
Perhaps it is time for Potter to use the only two recognised strikers in the team; Fofana and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
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