Chelsea boss Graham Potter argue that there is nothing “ominous” in the potential effects of Mihailo Mudrik and Mark Cucurella.
Madrik, who joined in January, seems to have liked an Instagram post criticizing Cucurella after expressing his dissatisfaction with him in Saturday’s 1-1 Premier League draw with West Ham.
Both players traveled to Germany for the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Borussia Dortmund.
On the eve of the game at Signal Iduna Park, head coach Potter dismissed suggestions to split up at camp, emphasizing that the pair needed time to figure out each other’s games.
“I have no problem with anything sinister,” he said at a press conference. I think it’s a very common problem.
“In a game against a five-back, West Ham will probably make it harder to access Weidman’s legs, just figuring out when to play in space or how to make runs.
“Mihailo, it’s only the third match against us, so it’s not a problem. It’s just a matter of understanding, and it’s very easy to understand once you recognize the situation we’re in.”
Left-back Cucurella has been struggling with form at Stamford Bridge since Potter’s former club Brighton reportedly offered him a £60m summer transfer fee.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian winger Mudrik is lining up for the costly Blues’ first European action after recently arriving with a starting £62m from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Chelsea, who have acquired a number of new players under Todd Bawley’s ownership, have won just two of their last 13 league games and are 10th in the top league.
Potter hopes the two-time Champions League winner can overcome his domestic slump with Dortmund.
“It’s the knockout stage of the Champions League, the absolute pinnacle of the game,” he said.
“It’s a great test, a great opportunity here to play against a great club and team in front of over 80,000 fans.
“We are all looking forward to the match. We understand the challenges that lie ahead of us, but we are really excited.”
Raheem Sterling remains in London due to injury, while defender Wesley Fofana, who hasn’t played since October, could be out for midfielder Dennis Zakaria following a three-match absence.
