Graham Potter, the manager of Chelsea, is under a lot of pressure after his team lost 2-0 to city rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday in the London derby, marking it the Blues’ seventh loss in 13 Premier League games.
Even while Chelsea was able to generate some dynamic forward movement, they lacked the essential bite up top and appeared toothless in attack.
For the Blues, scoring goals has been a major problem as Chelsea has only scored six goals since November 6 and is the seventh-lowest scoring team in the league.
This Chelsea team lacks unity, and Potter doesn’t currently appear to have any solutions.
The Blues went into the game anticipating a strong response after the home loss to relegation-threatened Southampton, but Chelsea’s play against Spurs fell short of their expectations as it once again let them down in the final third.
Speaking about his role, Graham Potter compared himself to Jurgen Klopp of Liverpool and Mikel Arteta of Arsenal.
The English Manager said: “It’s not good enough for this club and so I take full responsibility for those results. It isn’t good enough for Chelsea Football Club, I understand the feeling”.
“The players gave it everything, they are hurting”.
“We spoke about ‘All or Nothing’ documentary as Arsenal were 2 years into Mikel Arteta’s reign and he’s close to getting the sack and people wanting him out, disaster… and of course now things have changed a little bit for Mikel and the club”.
“Also Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool — they haven’t got the results, all of a sudden people want him out. It’s just the nature of football. But I haven’t done enough at this club to have too much good faith”.
Favorites To Replace Graham Potter
Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali are said to still believe in Potter, but the team’s performance and results aren’t helping Potter make a compelling argument for himself.
Mauricio Pochettino is the betting favorite to succeed Potter as Chelsea’s manager, according to Pari Match.
Since his departure from PSG, the former Spurs manager has been without a job. An earlier rumor said that the Argentina manager declined the opportunity to lead Chelsea.
According to the bookmakers, Zinedine Zidane is the second favorite. After departing Real Madrid in the summer of 2021, the manager has not entered the management field.
While PSG was looking for a new manager, they had also inquired about Zidane. The Frenchman has not yet returned to management, but the Premier League’s appeal could cause him to end his hiatus.
A significant change in Chelsea’s organizational structure would result from the hiring of Zidane.
The three-time Champions League winner frequently takes a “no nonsense” stance and is unconventional in his approach to communicating with the players.
The third name on the list is former Spain and Barcelona manager Luis Enrique, who is also a free agent after leaving the Spanish national team following the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
After watching a slugfest, fans would want to see high-caliber, visually appealing football, which Enrique’s teams can play.
Diego Simeone, the manager of Atletico Madrid, emerges as the fourth possibility to take over at Stamford Bridge should Potter be fired.
Simeone’s current contract at Wanda Metropolitano expires this summer, and he has not yet signed a new one.
Reece James Backs Manager Potter
Following Sunday’s devastating 2-0 loss to Tottenham, Chelsea defender Reece James has thrown his support behind manager Graham Potter, who is under criticism.
Following a run of just two victories in 15 games across all competitions, which saw them fall out of the top-four battle and leave them closer to the relegation zone than the Champions League berths, calls from fans for Potter to be fired have risen recently.
Chelsea was defeated 1-0 by Borussia Dortmund in the recent first leg of their Champions League round of 16 match, and the team has been eliminated from both domestic cup competitions.
“We’re all on the same page, we’re sticking together and that’s a big positive,” the defender told beIN SPORTS. “[Potter] is in a similar position to us players. We’re the ones out there on the pitch performing, so just as much stick he gets the players are playing as well, we’re in it together.”
“Everyone has seen how good of a manager he is. That showed when he was at Brighton and they were in and around top four. His ability is definitely not questionable.”
“[And] it’s not like we’re not trying, we’re giving it our all but results are simply not going our way at the moment. It’s not like the players are sacking it, or anything like this, we’re working hard, it’s just results are not falling our way at the moment.”
“Nothing happens overnight. We don’t just wake up tomorrow and we’re out of the situation we’re in, it’s going to take weeks and months to get to where we’re meant to be.”
What do you think about Graham Potter’s performance and Reece James backing?
