Chelsea manager: 'I know a lot of people say I'm not good enough'
"I hope the fans understand the path the club is trying to take," Potter said after the win at Stamford Bridge. "But I understand people get frustrated when Chelsea aren't playing well and things aren't going as they should. I'm not naive, and I know a lot of people say I'm not good enough. It happened many times over the course of my career. mine".
Potter is not a famous coach, even Brighton - where he worked for the past three years - is the biggest club in his managerial career. Here, the 47-year-old coach started to attract attention when helping Brighton stay relegated for the first two seasons in the Premier League. Last season, this team finished ninth - the highest in the club's history.
Potter made his first impression in Sweden at the beginning of his military career. The British coach helped Ostersund climb from fourth to first place. They defeated Galatasaray in the 2017-2018 Europa League qualifying round, and then finished second in the group stage that season, in a group that included the famous Spanish Bilbao. Potter's biggest achievement in seven years leading Ostersund from 2011 to 2018 is winning the Svenska Cupen season 2016-2017 (Swedish Cup).
Potter feels the pressure at Chelsea is normal, as he was called "trash" during his first 18 months in charge of Ostersund. Therefore, this coach is grateful to receive support and sympathy from the new owner of Chelsea - a group of entrepreneurs led by billionaire Todd Boehly. "We're not perfect so we have to accept all the criticism when we don't get the performance and results we want," Potter added.
Potter was under great pressure as Chelsea lost four games in a row before a break in the season gave way to the 2022 World Cup, including three in the Premier League and one in the third round of the League Cup. But the 47-year-old coach relieved some of the pressure when Chelsea beat Bournemouth in the last match at Stamford Bridge in 2022.
Potter said the win over Bournemouth was a "big step" for Chelsea, and explained that Kai Havertz played as a striker instead of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to allow the attack to switch positions flexibly. "Havertz can either go deep or go high into the box. That allows Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic to always be able to go up, thereby bringing a little change in attack," he analyzed.
Chelsea's victory was not complete, when Reece James was injured and made way for Cesar Azpilicueta from the 53rd minute. The 23-year-old defender had just recovered from a knee injury that kept him out for eight weeks and missed the World Cup 2022. Potter said the situation. James's picture was only determined after tests over the next two days.
In the following week, Chelsea respectively met Nottingham Forest on January 1, 2023, Man City on January 5 in the Premier League and then rematched Man City in the third round of the FA Cup on January 8. However, Potter refused to complain about the schedule because it didn't make any sense. "We want to have performances, we want to play well in front of the fans," he said.
