Football: Poor form puts Chelsea's faith in Graham Potter to the test

LONDON - Four months into his reign as Chelsea manager, Graham Potter is under pressure after a run that would have seen many of his predecessors at Stamford Bridge fired during the Roman Abramovich era.

A 4-0 FA Cup thrashing by Manchester City on Sunday

means the Blues are already out of both domestic Cups.

Ahead of Thursday’s Premier League clash at Fulham, they sit 10th in the standings, 10 points adrift of the top four.

But Potter, 47, is staying calm amid all the troubles.

“You always feel pressure, the higher you go the more pressure,” he said on Wednesday, as Chelsea announced the signing of Portugal forward Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid on loan until the end of the season.

“At a club like Chelsea, when you don’t get the results you want, there is noise and criticism. You have to keep trying to improve, stay strong and get through.

“You have to understand it’s part of the job. You have to look at my colleagues in a similar position. Pep (Guardiola) was criticised in his first season, Mikel (Arteta), Jurgen Klopp in his early seasons.

“I’m not saying I’ve been perfect but it’s always very complex. The results haven’t been good enough for us and you have to deal with that. We can improve a lot and be a lot more positive with results, players and performances. The picture can change quickly.”

The club’s new American owners would have expected better results after spending over £300 million (S$483 million) on new players to improve a squad who finished third in the league last season.

But, judging by the fans’ voices, it is the consortium led by chairman Todd Boehly that is responsible for the malaise.

As Chelsea chased City’s shadows at the weekend, the travelling support at the Etihad rebelled by chanting the names of former manager Thomas Tuchel and former owner Abramovich.

Tuchel was ruthlessly sacked by the new regime just seven games into the season in what appeared a sure sign that the hire-and-fire culture was set to stay despite Abramovich’s departure.

Potter does not have the CV to match many of his predecessors, so his position is even more precarious.

But he believes times have changed at Chelsea. He had said a more patient approach promised by the new owners was one of the things that attracted him to leave Brighton in September, adding on Wednesday that he has been in regular dialogue with them and they remain supportive.

Should they change their mind, however, Mauricio Pochettino could be the next Chelsea manager, with reports on Wednesday saying the former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain boss is waiting in the wings should Potter be sacked.

One thing in Potter’s favour is that Chelsea’s £280 million transfer spend in the summer window took place before he arrived, so he has yet to shape the squad into one that works for him.

When Boehly bought the club, he stepped in to head up the recruitment as sporting director. The result has been a scattergun approach to the transfer market.

The signings of veterans past their peak, such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Kalidou Koulibaly, already look like money wasted, while more than £50 million has been splashed on a few promising youth prospects not yet ready for the first team.

Potter has also been hamstrung by a long injury list.

N’Golo Kante has not played since August, Reece James and Ben Chilwell have suffered lengthy lay-offs and Chelsea’s most expensive summer signing, Wesley Fofana, has been restricted to four appearances.

Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic have also been ruled out for the next few weeks and Armando Broja’s season is over after he suffered knee damage.

“We’ve had a massive transition and problems in terms of injuries don’t make it easy to be stable,” added Potter.

But with Chelsea in the unusual position of trailing Fulham by three points heading into their west London derby, he needs to find answers rather than excuses to keep his job. AFP