Time Up For Potter?
Graham Potter is the most famous manager in the Premier League right now, and it's all for the wrong reasons. When you've got the most expensive squad in football only to lose at home to bottom club Southampton, the vultures will start circling.
Undoubtedly, Potter's time at Chelsea has been nothing short of eventful. He came in heralded as the next big thing in English football management. Articles flooded the media space about his tactical acumen and how his journey across the world to the depth of the Swedish league has prepared him for the big stage.
As expected, with Potter Chelsea rebounded to go nine games unbeaten. That reminds me of how Manchester United suddenly started winning games when Solksjær replaced Mourinho. Of course, we know how Solksjær's story ended so elaborating on that right here is as good as pointless.
Just like back in September 2022 when the internet space was filled with articles analysing Potter's readiness for Chelsea's job, right now every decent football website out there is discussing the unbelievable statistics Potter has accumulated since. Unsurprisingly, those numbers are not looking good and Potter's chances of staying at Chelsea beyond this season looks grim. As a matter of fact, Potter would've pulled a miracle if he is still at Chelsea by May if the team continues underperforming this badly.
When Tuchel was sacked Chelsea was in 6th position, trailing the fourth place on goal difference. With Potter, every decent statistic has worsened. On a 36% win rate, you'd have to go far behind to the early days of a certain Glenn Hoddle to find a Chelsea manager rivalling such a poor win rate. Out of both domestic competitions, possibly out of a top four race and with Champions League progression hanging by a thread one would wonder where Potter's salvation is coming from.
Will Chelsea sack him despite his lengthy contract? That won't be a surprise. Manchester United sacked Moyes with over 5 years remaining on his contract. Can Potter still turn this around? Well, I am one of those dudes who believe that an intelligent person cannot go brainless overnight. So I won't be throwing Potter under the bus, writing him off or lumping all the blames for Chelsea's disastrous season on him. Though he's looked out of his depth in recent weeks, his exploits at Brighton should give him a benefit of the doubt.
As far as I'm concerned, Chelsea's game against Dortmund is Graham Potter's lifeline. If he wins that and progresses in the Champions League, Mr. Boehly may yet persist with him. If Chelsea gets knocked out by Dortmund and is still struggling domestically, then there is no excuse to keep Potter around. He'll probably get replaced by an experienced, top class manager who will spend the latter part of the season to finetune the squad in preparation for next season.
Considering how Boehly swiftly replaced Tuchel with Potter, I want to assume the American businessman is already sounding out potential candidates for Potter's job. In the end, everyone cannot move from the middle class to the top class and thrive. That's why the experienced, top rated managers keep getting recycled. As for Potter, I hope he gets Chelsea back on track. A competing Chelsea is what the Premier League needs, not one in comatose.
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I don't think Potter is a bad manager, I just don't think he's right manager for Chelsea. Boehly is obviously trying to change the ethos at Chelsea but it will take a long time to achieve and like you say they'll probably do better in the short term under a big name experienced manager who has more experience of the lime light
There was Mourinho, and there were Conte and Sarri as well. Nobody, not even the big names are right for Chelsea's role imo.
Would it be fair to say that Mourinho and Conte were successful though?
Chelsea has always been a dressing room with big egos so you need a big ego to manage them, there aren’t many bigger than Mourinho. Potter is probably too nice a guy
No one with a big enough ego to manage Chelsea currently exists.
That was the argument I had here when Potter was employed. At Chelsea, the big boys are in control. If they want a manager out, that manager is as good as gone.
At Brighton, Potter was the authority. At Chelsea, he's managing players who make a lot more than him. Controlling them and retaining the respect of the owners is what will determine his success.
If Chelsea had a manager like Mourinho or Conte, they won't be hovering over Europe buying whatever thing that looks like human and laces a soccer boot. Their is no way Potter sanctioned the acquisition of eight players in January. Those guys were acquired without his due permission. He doesn't have the character or experience to lead such a club, at least for now.
I feel a lot of pity for the guy, Potter. He probably saw an opportunity that was too big to miss in Chelsea. Well, that opportunity is turning to a nightmare for him at the moment. He doesn't look in total control of that squad. And when a squad is that big, it's nearly impossible to control it. I just hope this won't damage his managerial credibility.
I still believe in Potter he will do a great job in Chelsea
I hope he does, but the situation looks dire right now. The owner have expressed their backing, but if result continues to be bad he'll be gone.
Of course Potter has to prove that he is a coach capable of rising to the challenge, I think this weekend's game will be key.
And he lost again on a ground Chelsea never lost before. Boehly has done well not to give anything away as regards sacking him or not.
I have read rumors that he would have even been given the game going to Leeds and Dortmund, if he lost he would leave.
I know the buck stops with the Champions League. If he gets dumped out by Dortmund he's gone. Oddly enough, I'm backing him to win those two games. That team will turn a corner at some point.
That's true my friend 😓😓
Most Chelsea fans have forgotten it was this same Potter that beat Serie A champions AC Milan home and away in the UCL. The man needs time and I am sure he will deliver positive results for Chelsea soon.
Time is a commodity most top teams can't afford, and that's because they need to turn in profits. That's why most of them go for ready made managers who guarantees success to some level, and not take risks with inexperienced ones. Chelsea's success will be tied to the amount of money they spent. If results doesn't improve, it will be a catastrophe.
Potter staying or leaving depends on many factors, only one of which is on pitch results. Chelsea isn't even a team yet, just a bunch of players, most of which were struggling before Potter even joined and the team's top scorer was its right-back. Realistically speaking, it takes a coach 2-5 years to actually change a team's culture which is what Potter is trying to do. I think Boehly knows that.
You could bring Mourinho back, and in two years the team will be back at this point again. Boehly either works a long-term system, which seems to be the case, or keeps the old system of sacking and matching with the locker room controlling the coach's fate. I know it succeeded before, but it also had horrible seasons and it was unbalanced.
I don't know if Boehly will be different but I've always seen American investors as a bunch of billionaires whose only interest lies in making profits. Football isn't their first love; it's either basketball, baseball or American football.
Considering the fact that Boehly sacked Tuchel because of disagreements over transfer signings - one of which was Ronaldo - I still don't know exactly what he wants. If results remain bad, defending Potter in front of other shareholders while the club bleeds financially after overspending on player acquisitions will be a very hard task to keep up to.
The owners have voiced their support for Potter in recent times, but Manchester United also tried to stick with Moyes until the results went from bad to downright ridiculous.
I hope Potter finds his groove once again and lead Chelsea to success. It's painful to see that most top English clubs are being led by foreign managers. Can't even remember the last English manager to win a Premier League title.
Besides Arab owners, all owners aim to profit from the clubs financially. Not saying Arabs are pure either, it's just that their goals are actually more socio-political. Think about how much you've known about Qatar and UAE's economical status before City and PSG.
As for Boehly, he is different in his approach. I wrote a whole series about him and Tuchel. part 1, 2, and 3. Boehly's biggest challenge at Chelsea was actually overcoming the unstable system under which Chelsea was operating.
That actually has to do with the fact that England never had a football style and always saw itself too good to learn. Wenger, then Mourinho and Rafa Benitez are actually the main sources behind the PL's evolvement. And actually, no English manager won the Premier League in its current name. Howard Wilkinson won the English first division with Leeds but that was before the Premier League formed in 1992.
I have to admit I've seen similarities between Boehly and Roman Abrahamovic in terms of presence, which is something a lot of American investors in football doesn't subscribe to. Boehly goes to watch a lot of Chelsea games, home and away. I'll take that as a sign of commitment and interest in the game. It was that lack of interest and commitment to the football game I was accusing American owners of.
As for England and their relegation specialist managers, I've always wondered how their media dominated the game despite having such a technical lacking system of football. I guess they're wonderful marketeers.
After seeing Chelsea play football for so long, I no longer find anything about them surprising. If you had to choose between the roller coaster and watching Chelsea's managerial role, choose the managerial role. You'll definitely enjoy it better. I guess Potter's chapter is coming to an end.
On a good day, Chelsea's managerial role is a roller coaster of epic proportions with twists and turns when one least expected. I really hope Potter comes through this trying times.