Graham Potter, Chelsea’s former manager, made a rare public appearance on Monday Night Football. After 18 months out of the spotlight, Potter resurfaced on television, sparking attention. He talked about many things like what went wrong at the club, what made the job impossible, and the one mistake he made. He did talk about life away from media and scrutiny but is linked to the Manchester United and the England National Team job, so it looks like he is about to make a comeback soon. Let’s look at what he had to say about the Chelsea job and everything that happened around it.
The one mistake
Graham Potter was appointed as Chelsea boss in September 2023 after the sacking of Thoms Tuchel. He was the first managerial appointment under the new ownership. He was appointed because he had helped Brighton finish ninth in the league, their best at the time. Seven months after his appointment he was fired in Apr 2023 with a few games left in the season. For a Chelsea manager, Graham Potter has the joint-worst Points per-game record ever.
After his firing, he wasn’t seen publicly often and his appearance on Monday Night Football was his first in 18 months. He talked about the one mistake that he made at Chelsea which was with new ownership he thought that there would be a culture change but sadly it wasn’t the case. Graham Potter said that after losing just three games before the World Cup he felt as if the world was closing in on him. He thought that the team’s inability to win games was directly linked to him but was grateful for the opportunity. He said it was challenging and sees it as a learning experience.
Graham Potter on What made the job impossible
Graham Potter talked about a really big problem at Chelsea. According to him having so many players made it impossible. Making sure that everyone plays, while also trying to win every game under pressure is not easy for anyone. When he said finding stability was a struggle, it made absolute sense. Spending money on young players does not guarantee winning football games. The Chelsea board learned that the hard way.
Graham Potter talked about the turbulent work environment at the club, and he isn’t the only one to say this. Many former managers have voiced their opinion on Chelsea’s work environment and it’s not generally praiseful. He went on to talk about spending time with family and how he’s catching up after dedicating twelve years of his life to football. A journey that began in the fourth tier of Swedish football and ended with a quarter-final appearance in the UCL. He was happy with the fact that he could now watch football in peace with his close friends, away from the media and critics. In the end, Potter did wish that he had done better.
What has changed at Chelsea under Maresca ?
Enzo Maresca was hired this year and he has already started to make positive changes at the club. He was very clear when talking about what to expect from him and the team this season and going ahead. Chelsea for the first time after Tuchel was fired look like a top team in the league. The intent to kill off games, something that was absent last year is on display this time around.
The problem of excessive players that Graham Potter talked about, Maresca has already taken care of. The Italian was clear from the beginning about the players that he wanted and the ones that he didn’t want. He too struggled with finding the right combinations and requires more time to do that, but he isn’t afraid to bench players. Maresca is confident in the decisions that he makes and a confident manager improves the morale of the players which in turn fetches good results.
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