Graham Potter claims the Chelsea job is the hardest in football
Speaking to the media ahead of the Fulham game, quoted by The Guardian, Graham Potter has labelled the Chelsea job as “probably the toughest in football.”
Since getting the job in early September after the departure of Thomas Tuchel, Potter’s record as a Blues boss has not been very good. In 18 games Chelsea have played under him so far, they have won only eight and lost six. In the last 10 games, only three wins have been managed.
So, questions are legitimately asked about the Englishman’s work at Stamford Bridge. A few days ago, it was reported that the club chairman has no plans of sacking the manager even if he fails to deliver a top-four finish at the end of this season. Now, that is some confidence shown.
Here’s what Potter said regarding the toughness of this job and how the change of regime has affected things (h/t The Guardian):
“This club was run a certain way for 20 years and run really well. 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.
“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].”
Some of the points made by the former Brighton and Hove Albion are acceptable though. Add to that the injury crisis the team is going through at the moment, and it is not easy at all.
But, this is Chelsea, a club that has seen nothing other than trophies at the end of most seasons in the previous ownership. Will all that change, is there a need to be a bit patient with the change in the regime? Probably so.
Despite all the caveats taken into account, the performances have not merited sympathy of any sort. Defeats are part of the game, but the way this team has shown disjointedness is more worrying.
More Chelsea News:
- Moises Caicedo being monitored by Chelsea in the January transfer window
- Chelsea will make a decision on the future of David Datro Fofana in the second half of January
- Pep Guardiola urges Chelsea owner Todd Boehly to give Graham Potter time
So, if Potter is to buy some time here, what he can do is at least improve the performance levels of the team. Once that is done, results will slowly start coming. For the fans, it is important to stay patient and trust the process at the moment.