Denis Zakaria believes he and his Chelsea teammates have showcased they are fighting for under-pressure head coach Graham Potter ahead of tomorrow (Tuesday) night's pivotal Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund.
Speculation mounted last week that Potter's position was under increasing threat amid a dismal run of form. Yet the 47-year-old remains in charge and the mood around Stamford Bridge was lifted – albeit minimally – by Chelsea securing a hard-fought victory over Leeds United on Saturday.
The confidence-boosting win was much needed ahead of the visit of Dortmund. The German giants, who currently sit second in the Bundesliga, hold a 1-0 aggregate lead from the first leg. The onus will very much be on Potter's side to produce a memorable European comeback.
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"We are happy with the win and it will help us ahead of Dortmund – it was important for the confidence of our players," Zakaria said on Saturday. "I cannot say what will happen in the future but it will for sure give us confidence. We will work better after a win and we can build after this game."
When asked about the Chelsea players fighting for Potter, the midfielder added: "For sure. It has been hard for the manager and the players; it wasn’t easy to lose games. We are Chelsea and we have to win. It is not easy when you lose but in the end, we did well [against Leeds] and are happy."
Chelsea's goalscorer – and eventual match-winner – against Leeds on Saturday was Wesley Fofana. Injury has limited the France Under-21 international's game time following his summer move from Leicester City but Zakaria is no doubt the centre-back will have a big impact in the side now fit.
He said: "It was a very, very important goal and I am very happy for him. He deserved that goal and worked very hard for it. He is a big talent for Chelsea so I am happy for him and I hope he keeps playing like that because he is an important player for us.
"We have a big squad and a lot of players, so all our players need to be ready for our chance."
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