“I have no idea. I am fully fit.”
That’s what Rüdiger supposedly said about not being included in Chelsea’s matchday squad on Saturday.
It was the quote heard all-around Chelsea fandom, especially as it was the only negative vibe to follow what was an emotional, joyful, lifeforce-affirming victory down on the South Coast at St Mary’s. Few things make for such happy viewing experiences as comebacks, and Chelsea’s two-goal variety was the kind not seen from the Blues in the Premier League since 2002. Everybody was talking about character and effort and fight after the 3-2 win, and unlike the week before, when everybody was also talking about the same things, this time it was all positive.
Except the Rüdiger thing.
Goal’s Nizaar Kinsella, who’s become one of our go-to sources as far as the Chelsea beat is concerned, was one of the first, if not the first to float the idea that Rüdiger was dropped from the matchday squad against Southampton for stepping out of line with his comments to the media the weekend before. To most, Rüdiger’s words after the 1-1 draw against West Hamwere nothing but the honest and thus un-sugarcoated truth, and were not really all that different from what other players were saying. The situation was obvious and frustrating. Chelsea were giving easy points away, gifting goals, not fighting or concentrating for 90 minutes, and so on.
But Antonio Conte’s reaction of those quotes could have been different than the public’s and it wasn’t too hard to make the connection that his “tactical decision” excuse was just a cover-up for another potential Diego Costa or David Luiz situation. Conte may be stubborn and old-school and possibly not the easiest person to get along with in a professional setting, but he clearly values team unity above most things. Even as rumors and discord have swirled constantly around him, he’s remained steadfast in keeping internal squad matters internal, not throwing players under the bus, and complaining only up the food-chain, not down. So if he thought Rüdiger was criticizing his teammates, or his coaches, or their tactics or methods, it was understandable (if not necessarily universally accepted) that he would drop Rüdiger as a form of punishment.
It should be noted that Rudi was out of the team against Crystal Palace as well just a few Premier League matches prior (Ampadu was on the bench instead), and Conte appeared (and appears) to be searching for defensive answers next to the one undroppable stalwart on the right-hand side of the back three, César Azpilicueta.
But the Rüdiger situation was already exploding on social media, and his “mistreatment” was underlined by supposed quotes from a German football show on which he appeared as the main guest on Saturday night.