Joe Cole has admitted that he’s “very surprised” by Graham Potter’s decision to leave Benoit Badiashile out of the Chelsea squad in the Champions League.
The Blues return to Champions League action on Wednesday night with a trip to Germany to face Borussia Dortmund. Hopefully, Chelsea can record a positive result in the first leg of the last-16 tie.
Unfortunately, Potter had to make some big calls ahead of the resumption of the European campaign.
Chelsea submitted their new-look squad for the rest of the Champions League tournament, adding January recruits Joao Felix, Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk. However, there was no room for January signings Badiashile or Noni Madueke.
Incidentally, The Athletic says Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was ‘shocked’ by his own exclusion from the European squad.
Benoit Badiashile decision
Joe Cole has said Badiashile’s omission in the Champions League took him by complete surprise:
“I was very surprised he (Badiashile) was left out,” Cole told The Independent.
“He looks absolutely superb. He looks like he was made to play with Thiago [Silva].”
Badiashile, who joined from Monaco for £35million last month, has slotted in seamlessly to the Chelsea starting line-up.
The Blues have conceded just one goal in the four Premier League games the new centre-back has played, with his partnership alongside Thiago Silva really impressing in defence.
It feels like he’s one of the first names on the team sheet in this kind of form, but the side will have to make do without the 21-year-old defender in the Champions League campaign.
It does mean the door is open for the likes of Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana or Kalidou Koulibaly to try impress, though.
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