Graham Potter on the sidelines at Stamford Bridge – The five reasons Chelsea haven’t sacked Graham Potter yet – Glyn Kirk/AFP
It’s a question some of the fans and pundits who have covered the club for years have struggled to answer since the embarrassing defeat to Southampton – why hasn’t Chelsea sacked Graham Potter yet?
The Southampton defeat meant Chelsea have only won twice in their last 14 Premier League games, which would have been fatal for almost any manager under previous owner Roman Abramovich.
Potter was booed by fans after the final whistle of the Southampton game and received sporadic calls to leave the club, realizing some people would think he was the problem at Chelsea.
That view is not yet shared by co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, who remain supportive of Potter and believe there are a number of reasons why they should not fire him. Here, Telegraph Sport exclusively explains why Potter still has a job.
Backstage
Boehly and Eghbali are privy to what Potter has been working on and behind the scenes. While Chelsea fans understandably lamented the side’s selection for the Southampton game, which saw Reece James and Thiago Silva rested, the owners know exactly why. It is understood Potter was told that James, Silva, Kai Havertz, Raheem Sterling and Mykhaylo Mudryk would risk significant injuries if they started the game, which would have been a third in a week for James, Silva, Havertz and Mudryk .
Instead of putting his own position first and taking a risk, Potter took the advice of his medical team and ended up paying the price. The board believe Chelsea should still have had enough to beat Southampton but also recognize that Potter has put the club and their players ahead of himself and appreciates that.
Kai Havertz and Mykhaylo Mudryk set to come on against Southampton – The five reasons Chelsea haven’t sacked Graham Potter yet – David Klein/Reuters
Working with the board, big decisions were made such as the decision to drop Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from the Champions League squad for the knockout rounds and not call him up for the last three league games. Sources in Cobham also claim that personally observed by Boehly and Eghbali on several occasions, the training and analysis among the ex-Brighton man has been excellent and believe the results of repetition and hard work are showing in matches.
anger management
Potter was accused by that correspondent, as well as by former players and pundits, of not showing enough emotion on the sidelines and in press conferences. But senior sources insist there have been a number of instances where the 47-year-old has been upset and engaged in harsh conversations with players in the dressing room and during individual meetings. Potter is described as intensely with Cobham and there are no apprehensions about his mentality or concerns that he will be swallowed up by work.
Chelsea owners should be glad they don’t have a head coach willing to point the finger at his players or club staff when things aren’t going well for him. Former head coach Thomas Tuchel’s complaints after the pre-season defeat by Arsenal did not go down well and Potter’s style suits the owners’ approach much better, according to insiders.
courage
While many would say Chelsea bet on Potter when choosing him to succeed Tuchel, it is acknowledged within the club that he also took a risk on their behalf. Club sources have noted that mid-season top managers and coaches are reluctant to take on new jobs, with Marcelo Bielsa being the latest example of this after turning down the job at Everton.
Not only did Potter agree to take over the Chelsea squad mid-season, he left an incredibly stable environment at Brighton, risking his reputation and immediate future in the process. Potter has accepted that results weren’t good enough, but there remains a feeling at Stamford Bridge that he deserves at least a pre-season to properly work with a squad and start a season as Chelsea manager rather than the price of trouble to pay he inherited. The club haven’t considered sacking or replacing Potter, but if so, which top manager or manager would be brave enough to take over the current squad with three months to go? Not many, if any.
Graham Potter before his first game as Chelsea manager – The five reasons Chelsea haven’t sacked Graham Potter yet – Darren Walsh/Getty Images
pain game
Chelsea owners knew full well they were in for a makeover when they bought the club from Abramovich. They also calculated that rebuilding would most likely be painful as football doesn’t allow for five-year projects. Senior sources have told Telegraph Sport that Boehly and Eghbali have calculated they could rebuild the squad and football staff within a year and three transfer windows, but that would also have its ups and downs. The past few months have been a sizeable drop for the most part, but it’s recognized that some of the work done in last summer’s transfer window, mostly for Tuchel, has created as many problems as solutions.
Cobham insiders are aware Potter would never have built the squad he inherited and it seems the January deal was much more in line with his own philosophy – despite having far too many players to rotate and stay happy to be able to The current view at Chelsea is that the club must fight and work their way through this difficult period alongside Potter.
The example of the city
Manchester City are the benchmark for Chelsea at the moment and the club have examined how Txiki Begiristain worked closely with Pep Guardiola to recruit the right types of players, then gave the Spaniard time to integrate them and get the best out of them. All did not go to plan for Guardiola in his first season at City when the club ended without trophies and it was obvious signings have time to settle under the manager.
Just as Begiristain had previously worked with Guardiola at Barcelona, Chelsea’s assistant sporting director Paul Winstanley had worked well with Potter at Brighton and that is seen as significant. With Winstanley and his co-sporting director Laurence Stewart, Chelsea now believe they have the right support around Potter and that the January signings are players who can thrive under him and in his style both on and off the pitch. But Potter hasn’t had even a full month to work with them, and Boehly and Eghbali don’t think a semi-annual change of manager or head coach will bring lasting success.
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