Football: Potter not carried away by Chelsea’s consecutive victories
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Chelsea manager Graham Potter (right) celebrates with Wesley Fofana after Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund.
PHOTO: AFP
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LONDON – Not too long ago, Chelsea manager Graham Potter was under immense pressure but in a space of a week, fans are cheering him on again after he masterminded a 2-0 Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund in midweek.
That last-16 victory – 2-1 on aggregate – came after a 1-0 Premier League win over Leeds United
However, he insisted that his feet are firmly on the ground.
“I’m not getting carried away... it’s two wins. The boys have stuck together through a bad time which is good but we have to start again against Leicester,” Potter said.
“We have to play well. Goals and wins bring confidence, that is obvious. Results have been difficult, so the best way is to defend well, attack well, and then they result in you scoring goals and winning.”
The Chelsea boss has little reason to get ahead of himself, as the Blues are still languishing in 10th spot, 11 points behind Tottenham Hotspur in fourth in the fight for a Champions League spot.
Even if they go on a good run, it may be too late and their away form is also not the best.
Chelsea are winless in their last 10 matches on the road in all competitions, losing seven and scoring just four goals.
The Blues are facing a Leicester side who beat Tottenham 4-1 and lost just 1-0 to leaders Arsenal in their last two Premier League home games.
Potter confirmed that Raheem Sterling is a doubt because of a hamstring issue, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has a back problem, Reece James is ill and N’Golo Kante is not fully fit.
Tottenham will host Nottingham Forest on Saturday following a disappointing Champions League exit after losing 1-0 to AC Milan on aggregate.
Without a win or a goal in their last three games, including a 1-0 Premier League loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, Spurs could find themselves out of the top five if Liverpool and Newcastle win their games in hand.
There is uncertainty over manager Antonio Conte’s future, but the Italian insisted that any decision will come only at the end of the season.
“In this moment, the most important thing is to be focused on the league,” he said.
“I repeat this for a long time... the team need time and patience. But the environment has no patience or does not want to see the reality. The club knows very well my thoughts. We can’t do miracles.
“We’ll see what happens in the future. Until the end I am ready to die for this club but then we’ll see, I’m not too stupid to keep killing myself.”
Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, Hugo Lloris and Ryan Sessegnon remain sidelined for Tottenham.
