Joe Cole urges Chelsea fans to be patient with Graham Potter
As quoted by the Independent, former Chelsea forward Joe Cole has urged the Blues fans to be patient with the manager Graham Potter.
Chelsea slipped into another defeat on Thursday, this time at the hands of Fulham in the league. The result keeps them 10th in the league, now 10 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, having played a game more.
As if things were not bad enough, Denis Zakaria went off during the game due to an injury and new signing Joao Felix got himself suspended for the next three games after receiving a red card for a wild challenge on the Fulham right-back.
Speaking after the match on BT Sport coverage, here’s what Cole said (h/t Independent):
“He needs time. The fans – we saw a little bit of frustration creeping in here but they’ve just got to understand there’s been so much change.
“You have to keep going and the fans should stick with him and the players. I believe we’ve seen enough little sparks of Chelsea to know the results will turn.”
We are about to find out what the new regime at Chelsea is like. We know well that under Roman Abramovich, this run of results wouldn’t have survived the manager. That’s how ruthless the Russian was.
But, referencing a report a few days ago, it feels like Todd Boehly and co. are willing to stick by Potter, irrespective of whether he leads the team to a top-four finish or not.
While that is good and encouraging to know, to give time to a manager, there has to be something to cling to that offers hope for the future.
With what we have seen from Chelsea under Potter, especially in the last few games, the team is lacking fight and identity.
More Chelsea News:
- Chelsea eyeing a move for young Real Madrid defender Rafa Marin
- 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
The sooner those two things start showing, the better it is for Potter’s future. For fans, it is testing time for sure. We have seen some of the best Chelsea teams in the past decade or two. With everything changing from top to bottom, things will take time before it falls into place. So, the need to be patient is the go-to mantra.