Former Chelsea defender Mario Melchiot has revealed that the easiest way Chelsea can be Crystal Palace at home is to sit back and hit them on the break.
The match against Crystal Palace will be Graham Potter’s first Premier League game as a Chelsea manager. His first game for Chelsea was the 1-1 draw against RB Salzburg in the Champions League. Potter will be hoping to win his first game for Chelsea.
Chelsea are currently seventh in the Premier League with three wins, one draw, and two losses after six Premier League games. Crystal Palace has won only one Premier League game, three draws, and one defeats after six games with six points and sixteenth on the League table.
What did Mario Melchiot say?
The former Chelse and Dutch defender explained on ESPN FC: “I feel like Potter is not the guy who wants to dictate the game away from home.
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“Knowing Patrick Vieira, he wants to win. If Chelsea can sit back, and they are comfortable in sitting back, the way Potter likes to play, he does not mind hitting them on the break.
“Especially going to that stadium, it is always tough. It’s not an easy one. When you go there, it’s never your favorite place to play.
“They get so much support behind them. Potter knows if he sits back and hits them on the break he can use it to his advantage.
“We all know they have [Wilfried] Zaha in their team, he is the focal point and he always wants to get the crowd going.
“As long as Chelsea can control the game for 90 minutes, I feel it can be Potter’s first win.”
Asked the reason why he is suggesting Chelsea should sit back, he added: “Yes. And I’m going to tell you why.
“Chelsea, away from home, I don’t expect them to go out there and start firing.
“People see Chelsea and think they will control, they will dictate the tempo, they will take the ball, they will play [good] football, no.
“Last time I saw Chelsea, I didn’t look at them like that. Potter is working to build his team to the way he wants to play [first].
“People say Palace are a smaller team. Please, guys, don’t get surprised [if they win] because they can really surprise you when you go there.”
Meanwhile, Patrick Viera has rated Chelsea’s decision to appoint Graham Potter.
The former French midfielder said: “We just look at what he has been doing at Brighton and analyzing the first game [Chelsea] played in the Champions League.
“Seeing if there is something we can take to allow ourselves to perform in a better way.
“When a manager works well for a couple of years, he deserves a chance in one of the top teams.
“When you look at his record in the last couple of years, he’s been doing fantastically well with Brighton and today he’s with Chelsea. “I wish him all the best – after the game on Saturday.”
