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Graham Potter believes he has the hardest job in football at Chelsea due to a combination of factors that have now been made worse by an injury crisis
The Chelsea manager is now under immense pressure to get a positive result at Fulham on Thursday night after a run of one win in eight in the Premier League and exits from both domestic cups.
Potter attempted to rally the troops by speaking to some of the Cub's most senior players and talked about how expectation levels have remained high despite radical change across all areas of the club.
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Potter held crucial meeting with senior players
The manager held a meeting with four senior players on Tuesday. The captain, Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic who “again showed their qualities as people”. He added: “They were honest, articulated their concerns well, their positivity, their responsibility. I think we are in a place where we can move forward.”
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The vital thing and area of concentration for Potter at this moment is to improve performances and results. Excuses are irrelevant at this level and all he can do is find a way to absorb the criticism and justify the faith of the co-owners, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.
Potter was appointed last September after the hierarchy decided to part ways with Thomas Tuchel. Boehly and Eghbali took over from Roman Abramovich at the end of May and have restructured the club, leading to the departures of Bruce Buck, Marina Granovskaia, and Petr Cech.
Chelsea’s long injury list
Potter will be without nine injured players against Fulham, although he could include Joao Felix who has joined on loan from Atletico Madrid until the end of the season. Felix trained on Wednesday and Chelsea have submitted the relevant paperwork but his work permit hearing is not until Thursday.
Potter on the challenges at Chelsea
“This club was run a certain way for 20 years and run really well,” Potter said of Abramovich’s time. “I have a lot of respect for the previous ownership and what they achieved. Unfortunately, they’re not here any more and you’ve lost all that leadership. Everything has changed pretty quickly. We have to build things up again.
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“I understood that things would be difficult from a leadership perspective. It is a challenge, stimulating and ridiculously hard. I think it is probably the hardest job in football because of that leadership change and the expectations … because of, rightly, where people see Chelsea. I obviously didn’t think we’d lose 10 first-team players [to injury].
“I think it would be disrespectful almost to think ‘that’s gone and expect it to pick up with all the new staff, structures and people. At the same time, you’ve still got Chelsea with the demands and expectations. The reality of where the club is in terms of establishing itself as a well-run football club that functions well in a really competitive environment … maybe we’re not there yet.
“In my head, it’s quite easy to understand and get. I know there’s a lot of people that don’t see it that way. I am trying to explain but I also acknowledge that I am the head coach and when we lose I’m to blame.”
What next for Chelsea?
The Blues take on Fulham at Craven Cottage on Thursday night, hoping to bounce back from a wretched run of form. The lack of goal scoring is an issue that Potter must work on if they are to stand any chance of coming away with what would be a vital three points.
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