(Reuters) – Chelsea manager Graham Potter wants his side to convert their positive performances into goals as they prepare to host bottom-club Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday.
Big-spending Chelsea’s inefficiency in front of goal has been an issue for the Premier League club this season and they have registered only one win in 2023, while failing to score more than one goal in their last nine games across all competitions.
The London club had six more attempts on target than their Bundesliga opponents Borussia Dortmund in a midweek Champions League meeting, but succumbed to a 1-0 defeat after once again failing to find the net.
When asked if Chelsea’s lack of goals could be down to poor luck, Potter told reporters: “I don’t like to use luck as something to wait for as you can’t control it.
“The Dortmund game, in terms of chances created, was a positive for us. With the quality of players we have in the attacking positions, we can score,” the 47-year-old added ahead of Saturday’s game at Stamford Bridge.
“The criticism for us and the fair criticism is that we haven’t attacked as well as I would have liked us to. It was closer against Dortmund…
“The hardest thing to do in football is to put the ball in the net… The final third is an area where we can improve and we need to do better.”
Despite Chelsea’s struggles in recent weeks, Potter has opted not to play striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has failed to impress since joining the club from Barcelona in September.
The Gabon international was also left out of their Champions League squad for the knockout stages.
“There’s David Fofana too who is a young player with potential, there are other forwards as well,” Potter said.
“Pierre knows the situation but he’s part of the squad, he’s an important player. He’s worked hard and nothing is set in stone, his attitude has been really good and we will make an assessment going forward.”
Southampton will be led by interim manager Ruben Selles for the league clash, following the sacking of Nathan Jones.
“It’ll be a big challenge but we are at home and we’ll look to taker three points,” Potter said.
“Anything can come at you, pretty much. They’ve got a caretaker manager, they’ve had a week to prepare… We’ve got to focus on ourselves.”
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
