THEY PAI SHOULD H
<M<IP B@:B# <M<IP >F8C# <M<IP >8D<# Potters chief defends call to rest stars as fans make quick exit
MARK HUGHES defended his controversial team selection which saw some disgusted Stoke fans walk out of Stamford Bridge after just 25 minutes.
The under-pressure Potters boss insisted it was a wise thing to do, to keep his top players fresh for today’s clash with fellow strugglers Newcastle.
Hughes made six changes and left star names Xherdan Shaqiri, Joe Allen and Peter Crouch on the bench.
Some of the travelling support did not see it Hughes’ way, though, amazingly giving up with just over a quarter of the game gone and their side already three down.
“That’s their decision, but it doesn’t help us,” said Hughes.
“We’d love them to stay and get behind us and hope for a change of fortune but, yeah, at 2-0, could they see a way back? Probably not.
“It was an honest decision from them, but if they paid their money, you’d think they would stay until the conclusion.”
Weakened
Hughes confessed he arrived at his old stomping ground knowing his team were almost certain to lose.
“Even with my strongest team coming here there is an expectation that we could get beat,” he said.
“Our record here is poor and I think I’m the only Premier League manager in Stoke’s history who has got a point here.
“Our record isn’t here to be enhanced or protected – we haven’t got a record here.
“It was one of those decisions where sometimes you have to take it on the chin. I don’t like the fact I had to make key decisions that on the face of it looked like I weakened us, because I’m not like that as a person.
“I want to win every game I go into. We didn’t have enough tools to affect a very good Chelsea side. We understood that before the game, we understood it after, but we’re in a better shape on Monday.”
Coupled with injuries in defence, the Potters crumbled against a rampant Blues, who cruised to the three points thanks to goals from Antonio Rudiger, Danny Drinkwater, Pedro, a Willian penalty and Davide Zappacosta. Hughes insisted having just 48 hours between games was no way to prepare for the visit of the Magpies.
“It’s scientifically proven that you need more than that for you to recover physically,” he said.
“On top of that, you have the information that you need to give players prior to the game. It’s not enough.
“We take the TV money and the pound of flesh and this is when we have to pay it back I suppose. It’s harder for us because we don’t have the strength in depth that the top teams have.
“If we don’t win on Monday, I’ll probably get more criticism. But it was the right decision, in my view.”
For Chelsea, a real plus was to see Drinkwater, whose goal was the pick of the five, reunited in midfield with N’Golo Kante, with the pair being so instrumental in Leicester’s title win.
“I’ve had the opportunity only now to put N’Golo and Drinkwater together, like Leicester did, because Danny started the season with a bad calf injury,” said boss Antonio Conte.
“Now he has to improve his form. I know he can improve a lot to reach his peak form.
“It was very positive to see again the couple of players that won the league with Leicester.” Azpilicueta CHELSEA (3-4-3): Courtois 7; (Zappacosta 7, Cahill 7, Rudiger 7; Moses 6 Drinkwater 8, 57, 7), Kante 7 (Bakayoko 65, 7), (Batshuayi 71), Alonso 7; WILLIAN 8, Morata 6 Hazard, Pedro 7. Subs: Caballero, Fabregas, Christensen. League, UP NEXT: Arsenal (a), Premier Wednesday. Edwards 4, STOKE (4-5-1): BUTLAND 7; Diouf 6, Cameron 3, Wimmer 4, Tymon 3; Adam 5 Afellay 5 (Ngoy 71), Fletcher 6, 4. (Choupo-Moting 80), Sobhi 5; Berahino Souttar. Subs: Grant, Allen, Shaqiri, Crouch, League, UP NEXT: Newcastle (h), Premier today. Referee: Kevin Friend 7. scored two YOUR TURN: Which midfielder when they beat second-half goals for Chelsea season? Stoke 4-2 at Stamford Bridge last