Andy Murray in dig at Potter as Chelsea's wretched Premier League run continues

18 February 2023 , 19:06

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Andy Murray questioned Chelsea's lack of continuity as pressure grows on Graham Potter (Image: Getty Images)

Tennis legend Andy Murray aimed a dig at under-fire Chelsea boss Graham Potter after his side were booed off following a damaging defeat to Southampton.

Murray was the latest to question Potter's methods as the managerless Saints heaped more pressure on the Blues boss on a toxic afternoon at Stamford Bridge.

James Ward-Prowse's trademark free-kick on the stroke of half-time inspired the rock-bottom Saints to a priceless victory in West London, as the Chelsea malaise worsened under Potter.

Potter's toothless side have now mustered just two wins in 14 games and are left languishing in 10th in the Premier League table, well adrift of the Champions League places.

Despite such mammoth summer and January spending, Potter went into Saturday's clash without a senior striker, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang once again left out of the matchday squad.

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David Fofana, the 20-year-old Ivorian signed in January, failed to make an impact leading the line and was substituted at half-time. Potter had failed to find balance with his newly-assembled side once again, despite making six changes, as the familiar scoring woes continued.

Murray - a Hibernian supporter who also follows Arsenal - was not the only one apparently baffled by the lack of continuity in Potter's team selections, despite the influx of new players following Todd Boehly's unprecedented spending spree. "How many times have Chelsea played the same starting 11 in the premier league this year?" Murray asked on Twitter.

David Fofana failed to make an impact leading the line on his first Chelsea start (Getty Images)

And with patience wearing increasingly thin for Potter, his underperforming stars were booed off at full-time on what was undoubtedly the nadir in the 47-year-old's short tenure.

"After a 1-0 defeat at home, any criticism you get is understandable," Potter conceded, responding to the boos. "We've had a tough period and are integrating young players into the Premier League. When results don't go your way it's tough.

"I'm not arrogant enough to say that their opinion isn't worth articulating. My job is to help the team and work through a team period. The truth is we took as step back with our performance in the first half. Our response in the second half was good, but it wasn't enough."

Ben Parsons