Graham Potter receives advice from Paul Merson on how to improve the situation at Chelsea
Graham Potter and the players may have been relieved after the 1-0 victory, but the game saw multiple problems which need to be resolved.
After losing to Tottenham in the London derby last week, Potter was under intense pressure from the fans. The defeat marked the Blues’ eighth Premier League loss of the year.
Despite the victory, numerous opportunities were squandered, which undoubtedly hinted at Todd Boehly, who was watching from the stands, signing a proven striker seems to be a must next season.
Chelsea’s biggest challenge this campaign has now been scoring; they have had the poorest goals among the top 11 Premier League scorers.
They have also had trouble stopping goals on the other end. Their 10th clean sheet under Potter and their first since the beginning of February came from holding Leeds at bay.
Paul Merson thinks Potter should bring John Terry to the dugout. He made his comment when speaking on Sky Sports (h/t Football.London):
“For me, I’d get John Terry involved now. John Terry’s at the club, get him on the bench, get in there, get someone who’s been there before, played the game and done it. And start volleying people around! He’s too nice. It’s too nice.”
Given that Terry spent the majority of his playing career at Chelsea, adding him to Potter’s coaching team could prove to be useful. He knows the club inside out and would command respect in the dressing room.
However, the former Swansea manager may feel insecure because this would be a major sign of distrust from the board. It would showcase that Potter isn’t strong enough to deal with and lead a squad of this stature on his own.
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It’s better if we don’t go down such a road. Promoting Terry, who currently works with academy players, to a more important role such as a defenders coach would be the right approach. He has a lot to give and such a role wouldn’t give him textbook authority to question or challenge Potter’s reign.
And by Terry, Merson probably didn’t mean only John Terry. He was maybe referring to the idea of bringing club legends here who will command respect and can contribute to the squad in some manner, perhaps with a harsher approach than Potter takes.