"These players can play two games in a week" - Gabby Agbonlahor questions Graham Potter on why 2 Chelsea stars were not in starting line-up to face Brighton

Former Aston Villa forward Gabriel Agbonlahor has questioned Chelsea boss Graham Potter for resting Ben Chilwell and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang over the weekend.

Chilwell and Aubameyang were named on the bench for the Blues' Premier League encounter against Brighton & Hove Albion on October 29. Summer arrival Raheem Sterling started as the side's left wing-back with Marc Cucurella at left centre-back, while Kai Havertz started upfront.

Aubameyang notably started his side's 2-1 UEFA Champions League win over RB Salzburg in midweek, while Chilwell was a substitute in that game as well. Agbonlahor's questioning of Potter's rotation policy began with a criticism of Cucurella, who joined from Brighton for £60 million in the summer.

The former striker said on talkSPORT (as quoted by Metro):

‘‘When I watch Cucurella, since he’s been at Chelsea… maybe [there are] two games maximum where he looked OK. He got dragged off after 36 minutes against Manchester United and was sacrificed for [the change of] formation, today [against Brighton, he was] sacrificed in the 64th minute.’’

Agbonlahor continued:

‘‘£60million they paid for him… and you’ve got Ben Chilwell sitting on the bench. Why is Aubameyang not starting? Why is Chilwell not starting? These players can play two games in a week.’’

🤔 “Why are Aubameyang and Chilwell not playing today??”

😳 “Too much rotation and Cucurella looks like a bad £60m signing…”

Gabby Agbonlahor slams Graham Potter’s rotation & the signing of Marc Cucurella https://t.co/VD26FwGZOn

He concluded:

‘‘There’s only a few weeks before the World Cup so these players can play more often than Potter wants to play them. There’s been too much rotation and Cucurella looks like a bad £60m spent by Chelsea for me.’’

Both Aubameyang and Chilwell notably came on in the second half for the Blues against Brighton, replacing Sterling and Cucurella respectively. However, neither could stop their team from falling to a harrowing defeat.

Chelsea crumble as Brighton cruise to 4-1 win on Graham Potter's return

Chelsea's match against Brighton & Hove Albion over the weekend had one significant narrative. The contest marked Graham Potter's return to the American Express Stadium, having departed in September to Stamford Bridge.

The Blues entered this game unbeaten in nine matches across competitions under Potter, while Brighton were winless in five since the Englishman's departure. However, the Seagulls were on their game from the start and handed the visitors a 4-1 drubbing.

FT: GET IN THERE ALBION! 😁

[4-1] 📲 snickersuk.com // #BHAFC 🔵⚪️ https://t.co/wm7drElm1h

There were early warning signs for Chelsea, who needed two goal-line clearances from Thiago Silva in the opening few minutes. Leandro Trossard eventually put Roberto de Zerbi's men ahead after just five minutes following more poor defending.

Brighton soon doubled their lead as Ruben Loftus-Cheek put the ball into his own net from a corner. Another own-goal, this time from Trevoh Chalobah, put the Seagulls 3-0 up in 42 minutes.

Kai Havertz pulled one back for Chelsea three minutes after half-time to spark some hope of a comeback. However, Brighton held on before scoring a fourth through Pascal Gross in stoppage time to seal an emphatic win.