THE POTTER'S HOUSE, A GRAHAM MOULD!

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To many of us his emergence came as a huge shock. Under normal circumstances, his name wouldn't have resonated with the caliber of job he was being thrown into. The swift nature with which he was installed though indicated that he wasn't just a knee jerk appointment, but a well planned appointment that must've been in the wheels for months.

Chelsea isn't an easy club to manage as many managers before him can testify to. One moment you're hailed as the best thing to happen to them in forever, the next moment you're shown the door for a couple of bad results. He came into a team that had come out of a transfer window where they spent millions on defenders while the attack was left looking lightweight.

The team was struggling to score goals, while also having troubles keeping same out at the other end. It first looked like an uphill task, many believed he was doomed to fail and his first match didn't do much to assuage those musings.

One thing though that I have noticed over time is that new coaches who seemingly seem to hit the ground running in their first matches - especially if they style of play and energy seem starkly different from the previous regime - tend to fail in the long run. So when I saw him struggle in his first match, I suspected that he might ease in successfully.

From the team that struggled against the likes of Leeds (losing 3-0) and Southampton (losing 2-1), Dinamo Zagreb (losing 1-0), and being bottom of their UCL group, the blues has turned the tables around, going on a five match lossless streak, winning four and drawing one.

Our of the five matches, they've kept three clean sheets. You have to go back to the first game of the season (against Everton) to see the last time they kept a clean sheet before Potter arrived. That's a massive improvement from the shambles we witnessed under Tuchel, with errors littered all over the defense and midfield that led to goals.

They say that attack wins you games, while defense wins you titles which is why him steadying the defense and locking the leakages is a huge step in his plan to return the team to their glory days. It's not a mean feat to defeat AC Milan home and away without conceding a single goal. If anyone had made such postulations a month ago, he would've been considered bonkers.

Having many defenders which was seen as a big minus to the team has also been converted to a plus by the Englishman. In a special season like this where the matches are coming quick and thick, teams need an array of options to navigate through the campaign.

The Englishman is yet to start a consecutive match with the same defensive line up. That has helped keep his aging defenders refreshed for the season, with the likes of Thiago Silva, Azpilicueta, and Koulibaly being given the needed rest to keep them premium.

The constant switch between a back 3 and back 4 shows a level of mobility and flexibility that was noticeable with his Brighton team. The ability of the team to continually maintain a high level irrespective of the system is a blessing brought by the coach to the team.

In his short time at the team, the blues has switched between 3-4-2-1 to 4-3-3, to 4-2-3-1, all these while maintaining a fluidity in attack that was missing under Tuchel at the start of the season.

Defensive sturdiness, midfield swagger and attacking fluidity were the qualities that made his Brighton team a joy to watch and easy on the eye, and these are the qualities he's instilling in his new team. And with a better set of players and depth at his disposal, you can only expect it to be better at the long run.

There's the fear of the new coach syndrome though, where teams just start performing under a new coach in a bid to win his preference. This has happened many times in many teams and is still a possibility here, but for the now, the foundation of the Potter's house seem to have been firmly set.

Time is the only thing that will determine if the structure stands the test of time. Perhaps with Todd Boehly now in charge, the club's coach-sacking days are behind them. They might decide to be more patient and supportive even when things appear to be going south. But for now, welcome to the Potter's house, sit and enjoy the winnings being served.

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