Kalidou Koulibaly Sends Strong Chelsea Message After Graham Potter’s First Game Snub
One of the main surprises in Graham Potter’s first ever Chelsea starting XI was that he left out defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
For the 1-1 draw against RB Salzburg, Potter’s first as Blues boss, he opted for a back three consisting of Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva and Marc Cucurella.
Despite starting in every other one of Chelsea’s games so far this season the 31-year-old was an unused substitute against Salzburg.
With the likes of Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah also vying for a spot in the back three, there is plenty of competition in the Chelsea backline.
“He did some good things with Brighton, now he is a Chelsea manager,” Koulibaly told Le Quotidien.
“He has guidelines, expectations. It’s up to me to be patient, it’s up to me to show that I deserve to play, to show in training that the coach can trust me.”
“Compared to this, there will be no problem. We are also in the first weeks, it is normal for the coach to rely on players who are used to the emblem of Chelsea and who have been there for a very long time.”
“When I will be at 100%, there will be no problem, I will play again.”
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