Kovacic drops key Potter formation hint ahead of Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund

The Croatian returned to the Blues midfield for the win against Leeds United and he has been speaking ahead of Chelsea's Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund

Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic has told manager Graham Potter which formation he feels the club should be adopting moving forward. After missing their previous defeat to Tottenham due to illness, the 28-year-old was reinstated into Potter’s line-up against Leeds United for Saturday’s 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge.

Kovacic was one of three changes to the side that lost in north London, with defenders Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana coming in for the injured Thiago Silva and Reece James. This saw the under-fire manager revert to a back-three system, something that pleased the Croatian.

Speaking to the club website after the game, Kovacic said: “We prepared the goal well in training because we know that Wesley is good in the air. I think the formation worked really well.

“We prepared it good in training and we're used to this system since a long time, so it's a familiar one. We had a good game but the most important is that we continue.”

This particular system will have likely brought back plenty of happy memories for Chelsea fans, as it was favoured by both Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel in more triumphant times for the club. However, it was also a set-up that Potter had already tried in his relatively brief Chelsea reign, but without the same results.

The incoming Fofana and Badiashile were joined in the heart of Chelsea’s defence by Kalidou Koulibaly, while Ben Chilwell and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were given the wing-back berths. Should Potter opt to continue with this formation for the crunch Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, he should also have Reece James back available, with the 23-year-old having already demonstrated his ability at fulfilling the right wing-back role.

"But in the meantime we have to keep working, which is what we’ve done. But yeah, I thought we had a nice balance about us. We were better in terms of attacking certainly of the first half. And that’s something for us to improve."