GRAHAM POTTER should be given time to turn Chelsea around despite the Blues’ worrying recent run.
I have been ‘lucky’ enough to follow the club up and down the country so far this campaign.
GettyGraham Potter is coming under mounting pressure at Chelsea[/caption]
AlamyChelsea’s big-money squad hit a new low with defeat to Southampton last weekend[/caption]
Last weekend’s defeat to bottom club Southampton was a new low in a season of lows.
The boos at full-time marked the first time that the majority of match-going Chelsea supporters had turned against the boss.
I fully understand the fan frustrations – two wins in the last 14 games with the quality of players in the squad and the huge investment is not good enough.
But, while I admit I do occasionally feel myself losing faith for a second of two when I see us tenth in the Premier League table, I am a huge fan of Potter and want the under-pressure boss to stay.
What doesn’t help, when I try to explain why to my disgruntled fellow Blues, is that they all think I’m the spitting image of Thomas Tuchel!
Most of the fanbase would take the German back as manager in an instant.
And on matchdays I’m often serenaded with chants of ‘We’ve got super Tommy Tuchel’ around Stamford Bridge.
Before the Southampton game I met Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos, posted the photo to my Twitter account and was inundated with replies saying “what’s Tuchel doing back at the Bridge” and “why’s Tuchel with our midfielder.”
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Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel during Chelsea’s 2022 pre-season tour.Getty
Charlie PatrickMeeting Andrey Santos before the Southampton game.[/caption]
Potter is facing a make-or-break London derby against Tottenham on Sunday.
And the last thing he needs is the away section singing our old boss’s name after catching a glimpse of me!
What hasn’t helped Potter is succeeding a world-class manager and firm fan-favourite in Tuchel who delivered the clubs second Champions League.
The German represented the club impeccably, building up a real rapport with fans, especially during sanctions on old owner Roman Abramovich, where he became the spokesperson which endeared him to supporters even more meaning it was always going to be a tough act to follow.
The club is in transition having been sold to Todd Boehly‘s consortium last summer.
There have been wholesale changes on and off the pitch and everyone in key positions at the club are learning on the job, which is far from ideal.
Chelsea is always a pressurised environment, and Potter has been dealt a really tough hand with injuries to key first team players, while trying to bed in multiple new signings and juggling an oversized squad.
These aren’t excuses, they are just reality. I believe ANY manager would be facing similar struggles.
I accept that, whatever way you dress it up, the current situation is unacceptable and must improve or Potter will find himself out of a job.
Time and patience are two things which aren’t synonymous with fans, particularly Chelsea’s after watching years of hiring and firing under Abramovich.
The club, under Boehly’s ownership, are looking to move away from that mentality and seem to be thinking more long-term, building a successful project with a settled manager.
Whether Potter is the right man to take the club forward in it’s new era remains to be seen.
But it is really important the owner’s stick to their principles and don’t pull the trigger at the first time of asking.
All I ask for is three points on Sunday… and to remain the only Tuchel at Chelsea games.