Premier League hits and misses: Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang substitution a show of strength from Graham Potter?

Plus: Can Nathan Jones turn things around at Southampton? Thilo Kehrer’s form at West Ham comes under the spotlight; Aston Villa rue result despite the impressive comeback vs Wolves; Brennan Johnson rediscovering his best form

Graham Potter may not strike as someone who relishes showing a ruthless streak but to manage a club like Chelsea, he will have to go there. And he went there in Chelsea’s defeat to Manchester City, hauling off Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang meaning he joins the list of footballers being substituted having come on earlier into the match.

This particular decision was perhaps low on the embarrassing scale as Aubameyang played 60 minutes following the early injury to Raheem Sterling, yet the striker looked frustrated when heading straight down the tunnel at the full-time whistle.

Potter pointed towards fatigue being the reason for withdrawing Aubameyang despite his team searching for an equaliser with Omari Hutchinson handed a debut in place of the Gabon international. Even if he was slightly fatigued, the fact Potter felt Hutchinson offered Chelsea a better option having never played a professional game could be seen as damning for Aubameyang and his future at the club.

Potter said: “He came on after one minute. He hadn’t played for a while and he put in a shift for us. He did everything for the team, he was fatiguing a bit, as was Hakim [Ziyech]. That was the situation. We needed a bit of energy.”

On whether he spoke to Aubameyang as he came off, Potter added: “I haven’t got time to speak in depth at that point. Forwards want to play and they want to help the team. He gave everything for the team. He was fatiguing a bit so that was the decision.”
Lewis Jones

While Pep Guardiola was able to call on Riyad Mahrez and Jack Grealish, two players worth a combined £160m who duly linked up for the winner, Potter could only turn to two teenagers with four senior appearances between them.

Perhaps there was an element of Potter trying to show the watching Todd Boehly how little he had to work with when he sent on Lewis Hall and Hutchinson. A message being sent as the club’s owner considers a move for Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk.

But in truth he had few other options when it came to changing the game in the closing stages. “When it rains, it pours,” Potter told Sky Sports when questioned on the late injury which saw Mason Mount added to Chelsea’s absentee list before the game. Little did he know Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic would soon join him.

The young players sent on in their places all contributed positively.

Carney Chukwuemeka, who struck the inside of the post with a low shot before half-time, showed a willingness to carry the ball forward throughout, while Hall defended with far greater impetus than Marc Cucurella and offered more of an attacking threat too.

But the fact remains that Chelsea were badly lacking the pedigree of their opponents and ultimately that’s what tilted the game City’s way. “I’ve never experienced anything like it,” said Potter of Chelsea’s injury crisis afterwards. The extraordinary circumstances put even more emphasis on their business this month.

It may have seemed slightly strange to suggest before kick-off that Southampton needed the win more than Nottingham Forest considering both sides started the evening in the relegation zone, but Nathan Jones’ team were in desperate need of three points as they looked to lift themselves off the foot of the Premier League table.

Against a Forest team that had only scored once on the road this season and were yet to win away from home, it was, at least on paper, an ideal opportunity for Saints to breathe some much-needed life into their survival bid.