The World Is a Ball: Chelsea coach indicates that a 7-1 in favor may foreshadow embarrassment

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In big clubs, those that aim to fight for important titles, the arrival of reinforcements, of players considered to be of a high level, is always welcome.

Which coach doesn’t like to receive the news from the board that one, two, three new talents (not necessarily in age) will be joining a squad that is already considered of good level?

For Chelsea have offered manager Graham Potter in the winter transfer window (until January 31) no fewer than seven signings for immediate use.

At the same time, the team lost a single athlete for the second half of the season, the Italian-Brazilian midfielder Jorginho, who also migrated to London’s Arsenal.

The scenario caused the coach, in addition to logical satisfaction, also a certain headache. The excess of players, all wanting a captive place in the team, will have to be very well managed by Potter.

If there is not a balance in the lineups, with enough minutes given to everyone, it can generate discontent, which will certainly cause noise and cracks in the locker room. And hardly a team triumphs in the midst of internal conflicts; on the contrary, the trend is towards implosion.

“If you spend money, the buzz grows. We have very good players, we need healthy competition [entre eles]but sometimes there will be frustration”, said Potter in an interview with journalists, indicating the possibility of going through moments of embarrassment.

Since May last year under the management of the business group led by the American Todd Boehly, Chelsea has invested close to US$ 370 million (R$ 1.88 billion) in recent signings. It is the European club that spent the most in the period allowed for transactions.

They arrived at the team, which until this Friday (3), when they would face Fulham, was bitter in the tenth place in the English Championship, the Argentine Enzo Fernández (midfielder), the Ukrainian Mudryk (forward), the Portuguese João Félix (forward), the Brazilian Andrey (midfielder, ex-Vasco), the Ivorian Datro Fofana (forward), the French Badiashile (defender) and the English Madueke (forward).

Ex-Benfica player, Fernández was the most expensive of them (US$131 million/R$669 million) and is the one to whom the spotlight will be more directed, since he stood out in the Qatar Cup, at the end of 2022, winning the cup alongside Messi.

“There are challenges when you have so many players, most want to play,” Potter said. “There will be awkward conversations because only 11 can play and you can only list so many athletes. [para cada jogo].”

The signings join a squad that features a number of high-level players, currently or previously present in the national teams of their countries, such as defenders Thiago Silva and Koulibaly, midfielder Kovacic, midfielders Mount, Ziyech and Pulisic and strikers Havertz, Aubameyang and Sterling.

As Chelsea have already been eliminated from the Cups (from England and the English League), Potter has only two competitions to make room for his expensive and large squad (there are 31 players), the Premier League (English Championship) and the Champions League (Europe Champions League).

The club’s management hopes that the menu of athletes made available to Potter will not serve to cause the coach indigestion, but rather for him to get the right combination of options and make the team climb steps in the Premier (it is 21 points behind the leader, Arsenal , and 10th in the qualification zone for the next Champions League).

In the ongoing Champions League, Chelsea, champion of the competition in 2021, will duel in the round of 16 with the German Borussia Dortmund.

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