“Quite a quiet guy”- Potter attempts to take the heat off Chelsea ace ahead of crunch Arsenal clash

Chelsea boss Graham Potteropens up on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang facing his former club Arsenal

Speaking in the press conference ahead of the next game (h/t Football.London), Chelsea manager Graham Potter talked about striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang facing his former club Arsenal in an important league game on Sunday.

The Blues are set to host the Gunners at Stamford Bridge with bragging rights and precious points up for grabs. Aubameyang was a player and the captain of Arsenal until December 2021, before he had to leave the Emirates Stadium on a sour note.

Since then, the 33-year-old has not held back in questioning the management style of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, slating him as a manager who cannot handle the big players.

Talking about this mouth-watering prospect of Aubameyang against his former club, here’s Potter (h/t Football.London):

“It’s a London derby, two good teams I think. Arsenal are doing really well and the history makes it an interesting one for Auba. But the past is the past as we’re concerned.

“I don’t think we should make it about him. He is an important part of the team for us but it takes everybody, not just one person. I understand the interest around him because it’s Arsenal.

I think he’s looking forward to the game, excited for it. He’s been pretty normal I say, quite a quiet guy.”

After a humiliating defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion last weekend, it is two draws and a loss for Chelsea in the last three league games. This run of games has put them 10 points behind the pace-setters Arsenal after 12 games each.

So, in a way, this match would be an ideal chance for the Blues to cut the gap between them and the Gunners going into the final week of the first half of this season.

In general, the form of this team has been good under Potter. But, injuries to key players have not helped in the last few games.

Missing N’Golo Kante has always been a concern, although Chelsea have looked solid in midfield with Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho and co. doing a decent job. They have been missing wing-back Reece James in the last few weeks, and now will miss Ben Chilwell for quite a while.

What James and Chilwell used to give is constant thrust going forward in wide areas and also being very good defensively against opposition wingers. Potter will be without the pair for this encounter.

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He would hope that Aubameyang is fired up for this contest as Chelsea have lacked goals from him in the last few games. The 33-year-old has not scored since doing so against AC Milan on October 11.