3 Things Graham Potter got wrong in Chelsea 0-1 Southampton
By Tan Yi Hao
A poorly delivered post-match presser
Potter has made it clear since his first day in charge that he intends to be as honest and forthcoming in his press conferences as is reasonably possible. This in itself is not an issue. However, at a time when the whole team is badly struggling for form and the fans are clearly unconvinced by the football they are witnessing, perhaps Potter would do better than to once again come across as making further excuses for yet another poor showing from his side.
When quizzed on the very vocal criticism from the Chelsea fans post-match, Potter spoke of it being a “tough period” and having “lots of challenges in terms of integrating young players into the Premier League”. When pressed further on sections of the fanbase already calling for him to be sacked, Potter responded by saying that he “do[oesn’t] think they’re right but [he is] not arrogant enough to say their opinion isn’t worth articulating.”
On their own, these are perfectly reasonable responses to have when the team has suffered a defeat. But taken with the context, that is that (1) Chelsea have won just 2 in the last 15, (2) Southampton are without a manager and barely had enough time to prepare a full gameplan for this match, (3) they find themselves 20th with nine losses in their last 10 and (4) have not kept a clean sheet since October, it is understandable that these statements are seen as weak and ineffective from a man whom many have began to question his credibility to carry the team forward.
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While it is easy to argue that a manager’s words are perhaps not as significant as some may make them out to be, I posit that Potter’s demenour is important if he wishes to have stronger support from the fanbase. More importantly, Potter’s responses have a direct impact on the players themselves and how they perceive the situation that the club now find themselves in. These are trying times, and Potter simply has to do so much more if he wishes to garner a strong response from his team in the next game. I argue that this starts from something as simple as stating, in no uncertain terms, the seriously falling standards at Chelsea and the need from every player to expect so much more from themselves and each other.