Interviews

Potter relishes busy schedule

Albion face nine games in 35 days starting against Leeds on Saturday.

By Bruce Talbot • 26 November 2021

By Paul Hazlewood
Albion play seven Premier League games in December.

Having played their first nine games of the season over 85 days, Albion’s next nine will be crammed into 35 – but Graham Potter is looking forward to a hectic next five weeks.

The busiest part of the campaign kicks off at home to Leeds United on Saturday and by the time Albion leave the Goodison Park pitch after facing Everton on 2 January, they will have played three games in a week three times during that period.

Potter will have no choice but to rotate his squad at times but believes it keeps his players om their toes.

"Over the course of the season you have to accept there are going to be times when you have eight days between games and other times when there are two or three,” he said.

"That's part of the challenge, and actually what makes it fun. I'm looking forward to this period of games.

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Graham Potter's Leeds press conference

"I like the quick turnarounds. It brings everybody involved in the group. Sometimes it's beneficial to keep things fresh, keep the group alive and have a little bit of rotation, providing the guys are performing on the training ground.

"So, it's a really good period where everyone's got to be on their toes and ready to play, because we play Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday this week which is a demand.

"We won't be the only team to do that, so we're not complaining about it. We're excited about it and looking forward to it."

Potter will have a few more options during the coming weeks with both Danny Welbeck and Steven Alzate back in training as they recover from long-term injuries. More immediately, Enock Mwepu has trained this week and Potter says there is a ‘really good chance’ that the Zambian midfielder will be available for selection to face Leeds.

On Welbeck and Alzate he added, “They are both making really good progress, the guys are really positive. They’re quite lengthy injuries, so I don’t want to put too much of an expectation on them. But every report I have from the guys is a good one, so we’re hopeful they will be back soon.”