Chelsea stars ‘still annoyed’ at Potter with ‘easy solution’ feeling

Chelsea stars are reportedly ‘still annoyed’ by Graham Potter as they believe the Englishman is taking the easy option by leaving out Mason Mount rather than louder players like Hakim Ziyech. The former Brighton boss was fighting for his Blues future after a dire run of form but wins against Leeds United and Borussia Dortmund have alleviated concerns in the short term.

Chelsea have struggled at times this season despite spending over £500million during the past two transfer windows. The west Londoners currently languish in 10th place in the Premier League and were knocked out of both domestic cup competitions by Manchester City early doors.

However, there have been signs that the situation at Stamford Bridge is starting to improve after they won their last two games. Tuesday night’s victory over Borussia Dortmund was particularly important as Potter’s men overcame a one-goal deficit from the first leg to advance to the quarter-finals in what is their only remaining chance of silverware this season.

Yet it appears Potter may still have some Chelsea players left to win over. The Independent reports that some within the Blues squad believe he has taken the easy option by leaving out quieter players like Mount while louder players like Ziyech receive more game time.

The Morrocan had been on the verge of a move to PSG in January before it fell through in the final moments of the window due to a ‘technical error’. However, he returned to the Chelsea starting lineup that weekend despite it appearing that he had no future in Potter’s plans.

It has to be said that the Englishman has a difficult job when it comes to keeping all of his top stars happy. Chelsea have one of the biggest squads in the Premier League following their extensive spending with players inevitably unhappy if they are left out.

Chelsea arguably put in their best performance of the season against Dortmund on Tuesday night and it remains to be seen whether or not this will give their players more confidence in their manager. Goals from Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz saw the club claim a place in the next round in ties to be played next month.

“A fantastic atmosphere, a fantastic evening, the players were tremendous, the supporters were tremendous,” Potter said after the game. “They had to be against a team that was doing so well. I think over the two games we deserved to go through, it was a special night.”