GRAHAM POTTER is never going to mimic Antonio Conte’s madcap antics on the touchline.
But some words of wisdom from Tottenham manager Conte could help him through his troubles at Chelsea.
ReutersGraham Potter revealed he keeps in contact with Antonio Conte after the Italian offered him advice while he was at Brighton[/caption]
PAConte will be absent from the Chelsea match as he continues recovering from surgery[/caption]
The Blues boss revealed how Conte — who won the title and FA Cup at Chelsea — reached out offering advice to him as a young coach forging his path.
Potter, who on Friday laid bare the sickening emails he received wishing him and his family dead, said: “I spoke to him when I was at Brighton and we’ve had conversations.
“We have kept in contact from a distance. He’s someone I’ve admired a lot as a coach.
“I like how his teams are organised and then when you meet him, he’s a gentleman.
“He has the passion but he has always been good to me.
“It was about doing your best today and not necessarily thinking too much about the future or the past.
“It was something that was on his WhatsApp message.
“I think it was when they beat us — he didn’t send any when we’d won!”
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It is advice Potter will certainly be leaning on as he battles through a rough run at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues aim to bounce back from last weekend’s desperate 1-0 home defeat by Southampton at Spurs tomorrow.
Conte will not be on the touchline as he continues to recover from gallbladder surgery back home in Italy.
And the technical area will be a much calmer place in his absence.
Potter was criticised by ex-players and pundits following Chelsea’s 1-1 draw at West Ham for not raging at officials over some dubious decisions.
Conte is one man who certainly would have lost his rag in order to put pressure on the referee.
But Potter will not change his calm approach, even though he is full of praise for the way the Italian carries himself.
He added: “Antonio has had an amazing career and I have huge respect for him as a coach and also as a man — I really like him.
“I’ll be missing Antonio and I wish him a speedy recovery.
“Do I respect his fiery side? Absolutely, yes. Because he is himself and I don’t look at how he is and look down on him in any way.
“Anyone who is a different person to me, I don’t think, ‘Oh, I’m better than them’, because that totally isn’t true.
“The best person to be Antonio Conte is Antonio Conte. The best person to be Graham Potter is Graham Potter. That’s just how I see it.
“Everyone is different and you can’t help who you are. That’s just life.
“Of course, you can play a role and you can do stuff but you have to be yourself. However, it isn’t nice then when people start to criticise you for being you — because I can’t help being me.
“And it’s certainly gone well. I started off in the ninth tier of English football so it’s not so easy to get to this point.
“You have to have some resilience, passion, emotion, courage — something that gets you to this point.”