14 January 2023 , 22:30
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Graham Potter says he will accept the Chelsea’s board’s decision if they decide to sack him.
The beleaguered Blues boss, who only took over in September, is under the cosh after a dismal run that has seen his side win just one of their last nine Premier League outings. Five of those fixtures ended in defeat, the last of which was the 2-1 upset they suffered at Fulham on Thursday.
In that game, Joao Felix, signed on loan from Atletico Madrid just in time to make his debut, was sent off for a late tackle — an incident which means he will miss Chelsea’s next three matches. And things lurch from bad to worse for Potter, with injuries and poor form ravaging his side.
While he is steadfast in his belief that, given time, he will turn things around at Stamford Bridge, he also knows that even the most supportive of owners have their breaking point. Potter said: “There are always questions if you don’t get results. I was under pressure after two defeats before the break, that’s from the media, but in terms of the board, I’ve had full support.
“But I’m not naive and if anyone I work for thinks the problem lies with me, they have every right to say, ‘Thank you very much but it’s not working’, and I accept that. But, speaking to them when things have been going badly, they have been very reassuring.”
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Potter must have walked under a ladder on his way up to Chelsea from Brighton given the luck he has had but, as he keeps saying, there were always likely to be issues given the change in ownership and with it the change in structures and personnel within the club.
Graham Potter is enduring a tough spell at Chelsea (Hayters)Big players such as Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen were allowed to leave in the summer before Potter arrived, and how he could do with those two at the back right now given those charged with replacing them are still finding their feet.
Players such as Jorginho are likely to leave this summer as well — the Italy midfielder’s contract is up — and others will be moved on, meaning Potter has to deal with a number of stars who aren’t exactly fighting for their own futures at the club, let alone his.
Still, he insists all of his players are working hard. He added: “From what I see, they are professional, they are responsible, they are honest. We are in a bad moment and we have challenges. Everybody suffers from that point.
“January is always complicated, no matter where you are, because the window is open and human beings are human beings. But I don’t see any problems in that regard, I have the boys’ support and they have mine, and we just need to keep working.”
Sunday will be an emotional day at Stamford Bridge as the club and supporters pay tribute to former player and manager Gianluca Vialli ahead of the game against Crystal Palace. And Potter hopes the fans will stay with him. He said: “Of course I’m going to say, ‘Yes’ [that I want that], but I also understand they are frustrated.
“I’ve never been someone who places demands on fans, the fans have been really great with us and I appreciate that but I also understand they are frustrated with the results we have, and rightly so, because we are Chelsea and we expect better and we want better.”