Graham Potter says ‘People think I’m the problem’ – and they might be right
Five o’clock on Saturday means but one thing these days: another defeat for Chelsea. And this at home against the bottom club in the division, who completed the most unlikely double of the season. Booed off at half-time, jeered off at the final whistle, Graham Potter’s side look increasingly purposeless.
And for many of the home fans, the reason is clear. “The worst manager in this club’s history,” was one shout in his direction at the end. Potter, calm, polite, dignified as ever, accepted the criticism.
“When we’ve lost 1-0 at home to Southampton, it isn’t good enough,” he said. “People think I’m the problem. I respect their opinion. But I don’t think they’re right.”
The atmosphere at the Bridge these days suggests his view is an increasingly isolated one: ever more Chelsea fans reckon he is the issue, blaming his mish-mash of unforced changes which appear incapable of producing anything beyond a backward step. The grumble is, this is a manager clueless as to his best team. This was another game, another tactical variation for the latter-day Tinkerman: he has used more players this past couple of weeks than Mikel Arteta has all season. This time he began with David Fofana, Joao Felix, Mason Mount and Chukwu Madueke as a front four. The problem was they were a quartet who looked as if they had barely been introduced. But whoever of his vast squad he uses, he cannot find a way to make them score. Four goals in nine games in 2023: no wonder the grumbles grow ever louder.
Southampton, meanwhile, gave a magnificent demonstration of new manager bounce, responding to the defenestration of the hapless Nathan Jones by playing like a proper team under the interim boss Ruben Selles. And how Telles enjoyed his moment. Serenaded by the Southampton fans as if he had just won the league, he danced across the pitch in delight at the final whistle.
“It was amazing support, of course I enjoyed it,” Selles said. “I would say to them keep supporting, keep believing because they cannot find a better group of players for this club.”
One in particular: his captain. Chelsea might have forked out half the gross national product of Belgium on players these past six months. But here was telling evidence of the one they really should have bought. When Stuart Armstrong was brought down by César Azpilicueta a few yards outside the Chelsea penalty area, the visiting fans were immediately excited.
With James Ward-Prowse in their team, they knew this was the equivalent of a penalty. And once again he delivered superbly. “Now the challenge is to support him,” Selles said of his captain.
With available points rapidly running out, this was a joyously unexpected three for Southampton. Or maybe not that surprising with Chelsea in this form. Worse, it was not simply up front they were lacking. For much of the game, the visitors were quicker, sharper, more determined. And in Paul Onuachu, Southampton had the kind of sizable target man Chelsea fans must have assumed had gone out of fashion. After going behind, Potter shuffled his resources, bringing on Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz.
They combined to forge a chance which looked certain to restore Chelsea’s dignity: Havertz crossed, Sterling alone at the far post shot beyond the goalkeeper. But, mainlining the spirit running through this Southampton side, Romain Perraud somehow got in the way. A last-minute effort by substitute Connor Gallagher notwithstanding, that was about all the home side constructed.
True, a horrible injury to Azpilicueta, who was accidentally kicked in the face by the Southampton substitute Sekou Mara’s attempted overhead kick, seemed to disrupt their response. But, for Potter, the road ahead looks fraught. For all the investment, there is an absence of something. Actually, right now, there is an absence of everything.
Source: telegraph.co.uk