I Have Never Asked Him To Play As A Wing-Back – Potter Confirms Main Role For Chelsea Man

The West Londoners ended Wednesday night maintaining their top table place despite victory at San Siro as a loss at Stamford Bridge could have seen Chelsea dropping to the second place.

Former Chelsea striker, Olivier Giroud played a key part in the Rossoneri’s 4-0 victory, netting brace and assisting three times to helping Milan stump Red Bull Salzburg for a place in the UEFA Champions League round of 16.

Chelsea winger, Raheem Sterling has faced multiple critics following what may have seem as a struggling start at Chelsea but with an important goal against Zagreb, Potter shared that no one is doubting the former Manchester City player’s ability.

“We’ve tried to play him as high and wide as we can,” Potter said. “I know there’s a lot of talk about him being a wing-back. I played as a wing-back and I can tell you Raheem’s never been asked to play as a wing-back.

“He’s never been asked to defend in the back five or even a back four. His responsibilities have always been against the full-back.

“Obviously having the back four behind him probably helped get him a little bit higher, a little bit wider and it was nice for him to score.

“He’s been working hard for the team. As I’ve said before, the team needs to function well for the individuals to do well, so I’m really pleased for him to get his goal today.

“We’ve just had an incredibly challenging October. We were in a situation where had to get results, we lost key players in terms of Wesley Fofana and Reece James and there’s always a little bit of stability that’s affected when that happens.

“It’s not always straightforward to find the right solutions, but we’ve had one defeat in 11 games.

“That’s the life we have and everyone has to try their best. I’m happy for Raheem that he scored. No-ones doubting his quality here, that’s for sure.”