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Football London
Football London
Sport
Adam Newson

Every word Graham Potter said on FC Salzburg vs Chelsea, Koulibaly, Cucurella, Sterling, more

Evening Graham, how have you found the Champions League and have you found it more straightforward than the Premier League?

"No, I've found it very challenging, very exciting. The games are top quality. We've had three really tough matches. The first game against Salzburg was a tough game against a top opponent, and like I said after the game, they are very strong at what they do.

"They're organised and incredible in how they work off the ball and attack you. If you look at their strengths, they are a top side. The two wins against Milan has helped the situation for us, but we are not celebrating, and we need more points. I'm expecting a really tough game tomorrow night and are looking forward to it."

READ MORE: Kovacic boost, goalkeeper quirk - Behind the scenes in Chelsea training before Red Bull Salzburg

What's the latest on Kalidou Koulibaly's injury

"it's not too serious, but this game was too soon for him. We are hoping to get him on grass either on Wednesday or Thursday, but he is not available for tomorrow."

Will you be going all out to win the group tomorrow, and what's been your best performance in the Champions League since taking charge?

"We'll try to win the game, but with the greatest respect to our opponent because we know they are a tough side. If you look at their record here, they are very, very strong. So we will not take anything for granted. We will do our best and will see how the game goes.

"In terms of best performance, I thought we played quite well in the home game against Salzburg, probably better against Milan. And the away match isn't easy to analyse because they went down to ten men early, but in a hostile environment, I was happy with a lot of what we did. So, as I said, we haven't finished. We haven't got the points, so we need to get more. We will try out best tomorrow."

You've struggled a little bit to create chances in the last few games. Why do you think that is?

"It's a simple question to ask but a complex one to answer. There are lots of things I would say. We've had a couple of issues in losing Reece [James], Koulibaly, and Wesley [Fofana] in terms of stability.

"Away matches off the back of away matches in the Champions League, tough places to go. So it's a combination of finding the right balance, a bit of a process in terms of not much training time between the games: I think we've had seven matches in the last three.

"So when a lot of players are coming out for different reasons, just to find that stability and structure is probably a bit more complex. So that has been a bit of the challenge as well."

There has been speculation about Marc Cucurella's fitness since coming back from illness. How is he physically and maybe emotionally after twice coming off early in recent games?

"He's had a couple of issues, a bit of illness, he's been on antibiotics, but he's a lot better," Potter said of the left-back. "Manchester United was purely tactical, a need to get an extra body in midfield. He was the one to come out probably because of all the things that have happened to him. A bit unlucky there.

"He's good, he's ready to fight for the team, he's ready to play. He's a resilient character. He's a really good person. Sometimes when you move clubs, it goes really well, and sometimes it can be a little bit of an up-and-down period. Marc's a little bit up and down, but he's a top player, and he will show his quality."

What do you make of the Red Bull model, given the direction Chelsea appear to be heading?

"I think they've done it really, really well. They've had fantastic success with a clear identity of how they want to play. That gives them clarity in terms of what they are looking for and how they align their resources. You only have to look at the club they have to know that they've done it very well."

Is it something that can be repeated?

"Of course, yes. Essentially, it's an idea, and everybody is aligned toward that idea. Whatever the name is, you can certainly replicate the philosophical idea behind it."

Do you think Ruben Loftus-Cheek is in with a chance of making the England squad for the World Cup, given how he has been playing under you?

"He has really impressed me, Ruben, on and off the pitch. He is a humble guy who wants to learn and improve. He's clearly benefitted from game time, but the way he has trained is really, really good when he hasn't played. So that has allowed him to build his fitness up.

"Clearly, he needs a good fitness level to carry that big body of his around the pitch, but his quality is there. He is fantastic on the ball, great physicality, great athlete. I think he is putting himself in a situation where he will be one of the players Gareth [Southgate] will be looking at as an outsider for the squad. But that is Gareth's decision."

Raheem Sterling has scored once in his last nine games, is he giving you what you expect?

"I think it's more a team thing. We have to try to do better as a team and try to improve our attacking play as a team, and if you do that, then individuals within the team function better. Rather than go the other way and focus on individuals, I always like to look at how the team plays and functions, and there is lots of room for improvement in that area which will help everybody, including Raheem."

It's a match between first and second in the group tomorrow, what are you expecting from the match?

"It looks really close [the group] to me. Salzburg are a really good side, especially here, they are very strong. We saw their quality when they came to Stamford Bridge, so we expect a really tough match. We have to fight and match their motivation and intensity because that will be high. Then we have to play our football, but it's going to be an exciting game."

How important will it be to get the group finished off tomorrow night and give yourself a dead rubber in a week's time against Zagreb?

"It would be nice to win, and there are consequences to winning, as you say. Our thoughts are just to win the match and perform as well as we can. We understand how tough it's going to be in the environment here. It's going to be a challenge, but we have to take that on. We've put ourselves in a good position, but we're not finished, we've not got enough points. We need to carry on, and that's the test and challenge for us."

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