Graham Potter Explains Why Joao Felix Was Substituted At Half–Time Of Leicester Win
Chelsea head coach Graham Potter has revealed why he decided to withdraw Joao Felix at half-time of Saturday’s 3-1 win at Leicester City.
The Blues recorded their third win in seven days at the end of a week that has breathed fresh life into a largely disappointing season.
An opening goal from former Fox Ben Chilwell was cancelled out by a thumping strike from Patson Daka. A delicate dink from Kai Havertz put Chelsea back in front in first-half stoppage time, before Mateo Kovacic iced the game with 15 minutes remaining.
But there was a lot of attention around the decision to replace star forward Felix at the break with hard-working midfielder Conor Gallagher, with Potter asked about this call in his post-match press conference.
“Tactically I wanted to use an extra midfielder,” he said.
“I felt we needed someone who could ball win, a different profile and I thought Conor was fantastic.”
While Felix’s attacking flair has been praised since his loan arrival from Atletico Madrid, his defensive discipline has been called into question, regularly failing to track back and receiving a red card on his debut against Fulham. He’s scored one goal in six Premier League games for Chelsea.
