William Gallas slams Chelsea manager Graham Potter for using Raheem Sterling as a left wing-back
When speaking to Genting Casino (h/t Football.London), former Chelsea and Arsenal defender William Gallas has slammed the Blues boss Graham Potter for using Raheem Sterling as a left wing-back in his only game in charge so far.
Potter was appointed as the new Chelsea manager earlier this month, a day after the sacking of Thomas Tuchel. Even though the former Brighton and Hove Albion boss has been at Stamford Bridge for more than a fortnight, he has only taken charge of one game.
That game was against RB Salzburg at home in the Champions League, which ended in a draw with Sterling playing as a left wing-back and scoring the only goal for the Blues. There were two other games which Potter could have managed before the international break, but those got postponed due to the death of the Queen.
Here’s what Gallas said regarding the manager’s use of the England star (h/t Football.London):
“That is a problem. When I saw Sterling playing as a left wing-back, I didn’t understand it. It’s difficult for me to understand why he wants to experiment with something like this, especially in a Champions League game.
“You are playing at home and you put [Marc] Cucurella as a centre-back, you have [Wesley] Fofana on the bench with [Kalidou] Koulibaly, [Trevoh] Chalobah on the bench, and you put Sterling as a left-wing back? I don’t understand.”
Sterling arrived this summer from Manchester City, a club where his reputation was of one of the best wide forwards in Europe.
The fact that the 27-year-old scored a goal while playing left wing-back and was a constant threat down the left-hand side against Salzburg, shows that Potter was justified in his thinking to use him in a slightly different way than others.
The manager did explain his tactics in the post-match press conference and it was fascinating, to say the least. He was adamant in his explanation that a new position for Sterling is not going to restrict his attacking qualities.
So, rather than questioning a manager’s decision when he has managed one game of football so far, it would be sensible to let him do his job and judge him after a few months rather than few days.
More Chelsea News:
- Wesley Fofana has to make a decision regarding his international allegiance before the World Cup
- Real Madrid confident in signing Chelsea target Jude Bellingham next summer
- Chelsea in contention to sign RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku next summer
Potter is one of the best tacticians in the Premier League. If he is doing something to change things on the field, he may have already thought that a hundred times in his mind. Chelsea play Crystal Palace next and we shouldn’t be surprised if Sterling starts at left wing-back again.