Conor Gallagher was substituted in the first half of Chelsea’s goalless draw against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
The Chelsea academy graduate looks confident under Graham Potter and iss nearly in form last season at Crystal Palace. Gallagher started in Midfield alongside Mason Mount and Jorginho for Chelsea. However, he was substituted in the 15th minute of the first half and replaced by Mateo Kovacic.
Chelsea manager Graham Potter has revealed that Conor Gallagher felt unwell within the first 15 minutes and he has yet to speak with the team doctors about the extent of his illness.
What did Graham Potter say about Conor Gallagher?
Speaking after the game, Graham Potter said: “I haven’t spoken to the doctor, but he just felt ill. He felt like he was going to be sick. You could probably see that in his first 15 minutes, he wasn’t quite himself, so hopefully, it’s just a 24-hour thing, and he will be okay. Obviously, that probably affected him and us a little bit, but hopefully, he recovers quickly.”
Graham Potter also revealed the decision to give Armando Broja his first start this season.
Potter added: “You saw two or three actions in the first half, which were what he’s about. He can attack space where if there’s a big space behind, he can give you that possibility. Brentford presses high, and they leave space behind, so Armando, we felt we could use him, and we did it two or three times, but we probably wanted to do it more than we did.
“I thought he did okay for his first game, quite well. Obviously, because it was his first game, we thought 60 minutes was about the maximum for him but overall happy with him.”
Another Chelsea youngster who was involved in games against Brentford was Carney Chukwuemeka.
On Carney Chukwuemeka, Graham Potter said: “Well, if you look at these attributes, he’s a big powerful boy that can run and run away from people, and in a game like Brentford, you’re often in duels and need physicality, and I thought he and Christian did well when they came on. They affected the game. That was just the thinking.
“He’s a young player, but he’s got exciting attributes. We just need to help him reach his potential because his potential is exciting.”
Asked if Chelsea needed more players who can score after Conor Gallagher was substituted, he replied: “Well, I always look at the team and try to get the team functioning better rather than zooming into individuals.
“I understand the question, but I would rather look at the team and try and help the team attack better. It’s not easy against Brentford because if you don’t attack well, quickly, it’s in your backline, and you have to control a mess which is difficult to do because they’ve got physicality, and that’s how they make the came unstable. We were close with Mase, close with Kai, but we can improve in that area.”
