Maurizio Sarri insists he must sell one of his experienced wingers to pave the way for a starting role for Callum Hudson-Odoi.
The subject of interest from Bayern Munich, Hudson-Odoi has pushed for more minutes this season, as well as holding tight in contract negotiations.
The 18-year-old scored in the 3-0 win over Malmo in the Europa League round of 32 to further boost his case despite so far failing to dislodge Pedro or Willian in the starting line-up.
But Sarri has once again called on the player to be patient and understand his predicament.
“You need to understand that, in the same position, we have Pedro, Willian and Hazard,” said Sarri.
“I want to remind you that Callum, with this one (against Malmo), played 14 matches.
“There isn’t in England another 18-year-old player with 14 matches in the first team. So I think that we are using him in the right way at the moment.
“Of course, the 20 matches this season will be 30 matches in the next, and 40 in two years.
“If I am at the club and I want Callum to play consistently, I have to sell another winger. Otherwise the manager is in trouble.”
Dissatisfied with Chelsea’s start to the game vs their Swedish opponents, Sarri believes a repeat vs City will be ”a disaster, of course.”
“We are in a difficult moment,” he adds. “We had problems with the fans in the last match at home, so it’s normal for the team to enter on to the pitch without confidence.
“Of course, to play our football we need confidence if we want to be in control of the match.”
Chelsea fans continued to voice their displeasure with their side when Jorginho was jeered before coming on, but Sarri has emphasised the Italy international’s importance.
“I think in the first 30 minutes (against Malmo) we understood why Jorginho is very important for our team. We were in trouble to exit from our half, on pressing,” he said.
“I hope that our fans will be able to understand that Jorginho, for us, is really a very important player.”
