LONDON – Chelsea manager Graham Potter said his team will “accept the struggles” but come back stronger after Joe Willock’s stunning goal for Newcastle United condemned them to a 1-0 away loss on Saturday for their third straight English Premier League defeat.
Potter went nine matches unbeaten in all competitions after leaving Brighton & Hove Albion to replace Thomas Tuchel in September but Chelsea’s season has unravelled since, having fallen to four defeats in their last five games.
The Blues slipped to eighth in the league – before Sunday’s clash between ninth-placed Fulham and Manchester United – and are level on 21 points with seventh-placed Brighton. But the Blues have played a game more than the Seagulls and sit eight points behind Tottenham Hotspur in fourth after their final fixture before the World Cup break.
“It’s not nice for us, we’re in a bad moment. We have to lick our wounds,” Potter told Sky Sports. “We’ll use the break to recharge and regroup and go again.
“There won’t be many of us, a lot of the guys go away, but those that remain will work and go again. We’ve had an incredibly tough period and there have been a lot of positives, but a few negatives as well and a lot of learning.
“It’s been an intense period. Sometimes you have to accept the struggles that you’ve had and then move forward. In the end, it’s about regrouping and starting again in the second half of the season, there’s a long way to go.”
Chelsea have been hampered by injuries to key players, with England fullbacks Reece James and Ben Chilwell as well as France midfielder N’Golo Kante all missing the World Cup in Qatar and facing lengthy spells on the sidelines.
Scoring goals has also been a problem for Potter’s side, having netted only three times in their last five games in all competitions, with forwards Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang both struggling since their moves to Stamford Bridge.
Newcastle will remain third heading into the World Cup break with a fifth straight league win, and will be in the Premier League’s top three at Christmas for the first time since 2001.
Eddie Howe’s side, on 30 points, have lost only one of their opening 15 league games, and sit two points behind second-placed Manchester City and one above Tottenham.
“There weren’t many clear-cut chances for either team. We felt it was going to be one (deciding) moment and that moment of magic came from Joe Willock,” Howe said.
“It was a very good performance today, a very good game between two very good teams. We pressed really well, our fitness levels are high-class. I’m very proud of the players tonight.
“We’ve put ourselves in a good position to hopefully kick on. The break has probably come at a bad time for us. We’d like the games to continue. There’s more to come from individuals in the team. There are exciting times ahead.”
Willock, meanwhile, felt his hard work paid off after scoring for the second league straight game for just his second goal of the season.
“I have been practising shooting in training to be fair. I have been missing scoring in front of these fans, so to get a goal today is brilliant for me and the team,” the midfielder said.
“The manager put in a good game plan and we deserved to win.” REUTERS, AFP
