Coach Potter worried that Chelsea had too many people
In January 2023, Chelsea brought in eight players and only pushed Jorginho to Arsenal. Therefore, the Stamford Bridge owner currently has 31 players in the first team, although new contracts Andrey Santos and Malo Gusto have not been registered.
According to British newspaper Sportmail, Potter admitted maintaining the team's morale was a challenge because "every player wants to play". More than a month after the transfer window, the English coach is concerned that too many players are affecting Chelsea's training sessions.
When he was in charge of Brighton, Swansea and Ostersunds, Potter was known as the coach who always directly ran the training sessions, working seriously to build the game and the competition system. However, this working style and approach of Potter is not working when Chelsea have too many players.
Instead of the preferred 11-on-11 fighting exercises, the British coach was forced to let some players practice individually or in a small group outside and only call in when necessary. As a result, Potter had a hard time maintaining continuity during practice sessions, let alone in official matches.
Last weekend, Chelsea lost 0-2 at Tottenham in round 25 and stood in tenth place with 31 points, 14 points behind the Champions League group. This match, Potter changed six starting positions compared to the previous game, but the team still received a third defeat in a row.
Since replacing Thomas Tuchel, Potter has received 16 recruits for a total of $668 million. Despite being consulted by the management and "green light" on contracts in the mid-season transfer period, Potter expects Chelsea to purge the squad. He even admitted on the club's homepage that the 31 players in the first team were "big problems".
Although Chelsea can only register 25 players, Potter can still use all players in the Premier League, as players under the age of 22 are registered separately. But in the Champions League, the 47-year-old coach was forced to remove Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Benoit Badiashile, Noni Madueke and David Fofana.
"It's challenging when Chelsea have so many players, because they all want to come out and play and help the club," Potter said earlier this month. "During the transition you will go through periods that are harder than you would like. It's not ideal, but I don't complain and have to do my best. Step by step, I want to get Chelsea to where they are. better than when I arrived".
According to The Telegraph, after the defeat to Tottenham, the patience of Chelsea owners with Potter is "dwindling". Accordingly, the next two matches against Leeds in the 26th round of the English Premier League on March 4 and Dortmund in the second leg of the 1/8 Champions League round on March 7 will determine the future of the 47-year-old coach.
However, The Guardian reports that owner Todd Boehly and his associates will give Potter more time, even though Chelsea lose the next two games. Chelsea owners want the English coach to work until the end of the season and have the opportunity to adjust the squad in the 2023-2024 pre-season. They liked the way Potter calmly went about his business and built a structure around the manager, including signing two scouts who had worked with him at Brighton.
