Graham Potter: Chelsea boss under pressure but has support of at least one of club’s owner | Football News

Graham Potter is under pressure at Chelsea but he still has the backing of at least one of the club’s owners.

Chelsea, who are 10th in the Premier League table and 14 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham, have won just once in their last 11 matches in all competitions – scoring four goals in that time – as they have failed to record a win in every game. . matches from October 16.

Defeat at Tottenham on Sunday increased scrutiny of Potter’s position at Stamford Bridge, but the feeling is that a change of manager now will be a step backwards, not forwards, for the Blues, especially given the investment made in new players and building a new structure. around the head coach.

Since the arrival of new Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital ownership at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have spent more than £600m on bringing 19 new players to the squad, including Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez for an English transfer record fee of £106.8m.

However, the results have failed to pick up for Potter, who left Brighton to join Chelsea last September, signing a five-year contract in west London.

He has now won just nine of his 26 games as Chelsea boss since being hired from Brighton in September, and the defeat in north London meant the team’s longest run without a win in the Premier League in 22 years.

They were also beaten 1-0 in the last 16 of the Champions League by Borussia Dortmund, having been beaten in the third round of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup by Manchester City.

Potter: I can’t count on board support forever

Potter admitted after the defeat at Tottenham that he had not produced enough at Chelsea to earn unlimited support, but compared his situation to that of Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp at Arsenal and Liverpool.

He said: “The result was not good enough for Chelsea. I am responsible for the result.

“I thought the players gave everything, only that goal changed the color of the game and made it difficult for us.

“If the results are not good enough, which they are not now, you cannot count on support forever.”

When asked at the press conference after the match whether he received the support of the owner can finally disappear, Potter answered: “Yes, there is always the question, and you can not stop the question, and when the result is like me. accept it – it is part of the job.

“We talked before the game about watching Arsenal All or Nothing [documentary] and two years in the government of Mikel who is close to take the sack and people who want to go out and it’s a disaster. Obviously things have changed a bit now, but that’s just the way it is.

“If you look at Jurgen’s (Klopp) situation, he [Liverpool] haven’t gotten any results and suddenly people want out.

“It’s just the nature of football and obviously I haven’t done enough at this club to have good confidence and I accept that. My job is not to worry too much about it.

“I understand the question and I understand where it comes from and I just try to focus on helping the team and supporting the players because I like the players a lot. They are good, they want to do better, they want to win but now we are suffering and that’s all I answered.”

Potter’s Chelsea relegation – how long will the owners’ support last?

Chelsea have continued to slide under Graham Potter despite the owners’ support and record January spending – and now the fans’ support has stopped.

Read our feature here

‘I could play for Chelsea vs Spurs – it’s too slow!’

Sky Sports Paul Merson:

“It’s the worst I’ve seen at Chelsea in over 20 years. The fans are furious now. I was at the game against Tottenham on Sunday and it’s the most hate I’ve heard from the Chelsea support.

“I think Graham Potter will get the next two games, Leeds and Dortmund in the Champions League. It doesn’t matter what happens in the Leeds game, it’s all in the Dortmund game.

“It’s the only competition Chelsea can win, they’re not in the FA Cup and they’re not going to get into the top four, and there’s no way they’re going to get into the Champions League games without a manager, there’s no point. People can say. They won’t it’s getting worse, but it won’t get better. It’s been a big week.

“At Tottenham, he didn’t look like scoring goals on Sunday. Mykhailo Mudryk is an £88m signing who is sitting on the bench, saying that he is not a Potter player. If he is a player and he will go. to the board and said he needed someone, and should playing people.

“When Chelsea lost 1-0 at Dortmund, I thought we would beat them in the second leg.

“He never scored at Spurs. I can play for Chelsea on Sunday when they have the ball because it’s so slow – and I’m 54! I can’t run anymore but I can pass the ball, and I can play in the team, slow, slant, back , I can play like that at my age.

“Chelsea’s biggest game is against Tottenham and it’s not fun. They can still play now and they won’t score. I don’t remember them being so happy in that game.

“Chelsea beat Tottenham four times out of four last season, twice in the cup, twice in the league and when they had Heung-Min Son playing on fire. Now he comes off the bench and still can’t get a result. .

“I like Potter, he should give me a chance, but one goal in six games, one win in 11, two wins in 16. It’s a no-go. It’s incredible.”

Hasselbaink: Owners will give Potter time but he needs results

Former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink believes Potter will retain the board’s support despite his poor performance – but says he must deliver in their next game against Leeds on Saturday at Stamford Bridge.

He told me Sky Sports: “When you’re at a big club, and that’s Chelsea, when you lose two games in a row, there’s usually a crisis.

“The owner has come in and wants to go in a different direction and do this project. Potter is his man, so he will give him as much time as he can. But he will also expect more. He is under pressure. This happens at a big club.

“That’s the nature of the game. The only way they can take control is by winning the next game against Leeds.

“It’s great to hear that they are together and that this is a project and that they will stay together. But on the other hand, as Chelsea manager, you also have to give something. You have to buy yourself time and that means you have to have some kind of result.

“Right now, the results are not there, so the pressure on top will only increase.”

Chelsea’s next five games…

Saturday 4 March: Leeds (H) – Premier League, kick-off 3pm

Tuesday March 7: Borussia Dortmund (H) – Champions League, kick-off 8pm

Saturday March 11: Leicester City (A) – Premier League, kick-off 3pm

Saturday March 18: Everton (H) – Premier League, kick-off 17.30

Saturday 1 April: Aston Villa (H) – Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm