17 February 2023 , 10:17
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Chelsea manager Graham Potter has been told to channel his inner Jose Mourinho and be "more arrogant" as he attempts to get the Blues back on track.
The former Brighton boss has endured a slow start to life at Stamford Bridge since being appointed as Thomas Tuchel’s successor. He has won just nine of his opening 24 matches in all competitions.
The Blues have recorded one victory this year, which was a 1-0 success over Crystal Palace over a month ago. In an effort to find a solution to Chelsea ’s malaise, Potter has been told to emulate Blues icon Mourinho and be more arrogant by Glen Johnson.
Speaking with Lord Ping, Johnson said of Potter: “Obviously, he is a very calm and calculated guy, so maybe that is not in his DNA. I suppose a little bit of arrogance is right in the sense that, if he is walking around with confidence, it is only going to rub off onto the players.
“I don’t know if he has that sort of characteristic about him, to be honest with you. There are loads of managers that are still great, but deliver their messages in a different way.
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“Graham Potter is the sort of guy who seems to come across in a softer manner, obviously a gentleman, but sometimes every now and then, he may have to light off a firework.”
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Johnson is not the first former Chelsea defender to have imparted his advice to Potter. John Terry also suggested that he needed to arrive at Stamford Bridge with the gravitas of three-time Premier League-winner Mourinho.
The Chelsea icon said: “I think you get them [the players] onside by day one, everyone is going to be watching. That first meeting, the first training session; how does he [Potter] conduct himself? How does he hold himself? Can he handle this big dressing room?
"And if he’s come in and put his marker down from day one, players go, 'Ooh hello'. Pretty much like we did when Mourinho came in. No one had really heard of him and then he comes in and goes, 'I'm in charge'. If [Potter] has done a similar thing, both on the pitch and off the pitch, the players will respect that."
Potter already appears to have attempted to show a different side to himself over recent weeks as the pressure continues to crank up. Ahead of his side’s Champions League last-16 defeat at Borussia Dortmund, he snapped back at suggestions that he did not get angry in what would be a complete contrast to his otherwise calm and composed character.
Asked what made him angry, Potter replied: "Apart from these questions? I would say, I'm careful not to get into discussion with the media through the media but of course I get angry, I'm a human being just like you.
“It's just that I choose to conduct myself the way that I think that's the right way to be on the sideline.”