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The stress Chelsea manager Graham Potter claims that the issues plaguing his struggling team existed long before he arrived at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are in 10th place in the Premier League, 23 points behind leaders Arsenal, ahead of the London derby at Tottenham on Sunday.
Potter, who took over as Chelsea manager in September, spent more than £315 million ($376 million) on transfers during the January transfer window.
However, the new look Chelsea lost 1-0 to bottom-of-the-table Southampton last weekend, despite Potter facing jeers from frustrated fans amid mounting speculation that he could be fired.
Former Brighton manager Potter, on the other hand, is adamant that he is still trying to resolve issues that predate his appointment, while also settling in his young crop of new recruits.
“It’s extremely difficult. I’ve stated that this is the most difficult position in football. “There are a variety of factors at play,” Potter told reporters on Friday.
“The club invested a lot of money in the squad, which (increases) the pressure, expectation, and noise.
“But the players that we’ve got, they’re not 28-year-old, 400-game Premier League players. They are young players who will need time to adjust.”
Thomas Tuchel was fired by Chelsea in September, just seven weeks after the team returned from a tour of the United States.
Tuchel publicly questioned the players’ professionalism following a humiliating friendly loss to Arsenal.
Even though the German had won the Champions League just a year before, Chelsea’s new co-owner Todd Boehly quickly lost faith in him.
“We had a sub-optimal pre-season, speaking to our experienced guys, they thought it was the worst they’d ever had,” Potter said.
“No one is to blame for this. It occurred. The tour did not go as smoothly as they had hoped.
“I can’t say because I wasn’t there. Then there was a manager change, old players left, and new players arrived.
“Then I appear in the middle of the Champions League, (playing) Saturday-Tuesday, Saturday-Tuesday. We had an unprecedented injury situation at the time.”
Chelsea have won just twice in their last 14 games, and have scored a single goal at home in 2023, with Potter accepting fans won’t have much sympathy for the squad’s problems.
“I don’t think anyone’s bothered,” he said. “That is correct. Because I am Chelsea’s manager. For four months, I’ve been asked about pressure. When the results are as expected, you accept them.
“Supporters have every right to be angry. My response is there are things that are contributing factors to that result (against Southampton).
“I’m not here to persuade them” (with words). My actions must persuade them. We need to win games. “I have nothing to say.”
Source: AFP
