3 Things Potter got wrong vs Brighton and must resolve at Chelsea

Underestimating a more than familiar team

Once the Ex-Swansea City manager witnessed his team losing by three goals to nil at halftime, it must be said it was odd for him not to alter anything when matching Brighton was now called for. To be candid, drastic alterations were necessary after two own goals from fragile defenders; the melting midfield and a rather fragile attack didn’t help at that stage. In particular, switching to a four-man back line felt needed early in the first half for balance. Yet it was evidently too late by the time the second half began.

When the Blues boss finally opted for four at the back, cohesion and confidence emerged among the Chels’ personnel. Better moves with an increased potency, along with an improving Kai Havertz supplying an early goal, meant the away support could see the light of a comeback. But, as previously mentioned, the efforts were too little too late, with too much emphasis having to be placed on attack. Brighton subsequently managed to seal the game late on. Funnily enough, unless you’re a Blues supporter, the west London outfit had a whopping 15 attempts at goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, with half of them on target. Another day, eh?

What’s most strange about the defeat to the seaside club is that it appeared Potter had underestimated his opponents. An opposition he not only trained and developed but assembled and brought to a particularly notable standard. Is it possible for someone to misjudge an entity they know so well, or one they even designed?