Graham Potter, Chelsea’s head coach has reacted to their tie against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, following his comments a day before the draw.
When he was asked for a message to the Blues supporters ahead of the Champions League draw, Potter’s reply caught the attention of the fans as he declared: “we will try and beat Everton, then we will take the draw, and then we will try and win the f**cking Champions League”.
The statement went viral and exposed the disposition of Graham Potter, which is always far from his attitude on the sideline.
Chelsea has already been drawn against reigning European champions Real Madrid in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
During a press conference ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League clash against Everton, Potter was asked if he still thinks the team would ‘bleep’ win the Champions League.
The 47-year-old coach smiled at the consideration of his aforesaid comment, and then said; “Well, I said we will try and blank, win the Champions League, and I’m sure that’s the same for the other seven clubs as well.
Chelsea beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 on aggregate to get to the round of 8, while Real Madrid swept Liverpool 5-2 at Anfield and 1-0 this week to advance to the quarterfinals.
When these two teams met in the quarterfinals of the competition last year, it was a nail-biting affair that ended with Carlo Ancelotti’s team prevailing.
Despite being down 3-1 heading into the second leg at the Bernabeu, Chelsea startled the home team by jumping out to an early 2-0 lead and adding a third with only 15 minutes remaining to seal their trip to the semi-finals.
Two goals in the last minutes from Rodrygo and Karim Benzema flipped the game in Madrid’s favor, and they went on to face Manchester City in the semifinals and ultimately won the championship.
Chelsea will face Real in the opening leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on April 11, 2023, at the Santiago Bernabeu.
But before then the Blues have crucial Premier League matchups with Everton, Aston Villa, Liverpool, and Wolves. They really must keep up their strong performance in place before the Champions League game.
Chelsea are now 10th in the Premier League, 11 points behind fourth-place Tottenham with a game in hand, and is at risk of losing out on European competition next season. Unless things start looking up soon, Potter may also lose his job.
What’s next for Graham Potter and Chelsea?
The Blues will host Everton in the English Premier League game on Saturday, 18th of March, 2023, and Potter’s men will be looking forward to continuing his winning streak against the relegation threatened team.
On the other hand, if Graham Potter wins the Champions League with Chelsea he will become the first English coach to win the prestigious title since Joe Fagan did it with Liverpool in 1984.
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