He’s a risk-taker and a leader
WHEN one of football’s giants are searching for a new manager, experience of winning major trophies and handling the huge demands of working at an elite club are usually among the main requirements.
That is among the reasons why Chelsea’s decision to appoint Graham Potter stands out. Potter has neither on his c.v. but after exhaustive research and due diligence, he emerged as the head coach the club’s new American owners wanted. Their ruthless decision to part with Thomas Tuchel after just 100 days had hallmarks of Roman Abramovich, but their approach to appointing managers is refreshingly different. Many previous managers appointed under Abramovich had been on the big-club managerial merry-go-round, but that is something the new owners wanted no part of. That does not fit in with the culture they want and seeing the same old faces going round and round the highest level of the game is thought to have surprised them. Potter may not have what some of the more established names have just yet. But how will he get the chance to if nobody will give it to him? To some his appointment may be considered a risk, but in some ways that is fitting.
The risks Potter has taken throughout his career and his willingness to think outside the box, such as leaving England to start his managerial career at Swedish side Ostersunds, are part of the intrigue and appeal. As was his ability to do more with less, like he did at Brighton. Imagine what might be possible with Chelsea’s riches. Boehly has had success adopting that approach with the LA Dodgers franchise he co-owns, appointing Andrew Friedman as president of baseball operations after watching him overachieve and compete in MLB’s toughest league with the Tampa Bay Rays. Potter’s Premier League experience and evidence that he can regularly outwit the big boys is proven and Chelsea’s new hierarchy view the 47-yearold as a leader on the rise. Longevity and stability are important to the Blues’ new bosses; Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has held his position since 2016. They have shown their commitment to Potter by handing him a five-year deal and appointing the trusted staff unit he felt he needed to succeed. Collaboration and communication are also key. Potter is on the same page as the owners and will be involved in Chelsea’s appointment of a sporting director, which they hope will be completed before the World Cup in November. Boehly and fellow co-owner Behdad Eghbali addressed Chelsea’s squad for around 15 minutes and spoke to a group of senior players separately after Tuchel’s dismissal on Wednesday. As well as reiterating their belief in the squad, among their messages was their excitement for the future. A future that they will now be led into by Potter.
LEWIS HAMILTon’S hopes of another famous victory at Monza were dashed yesterday before an engine was fired up.
He is condemned to start at the back of the grid after taking on his fourth power unit of the season, one more than is allowed under Formula one rules. The world champion, who has won here on Ferrari territory five times, is still to register his first triumph of a campaign that has seen him beset by one blow after another. only last week he accused his Mercedes team of ‘f****** screwing’ him with a strategy blooper in Holland. Hamilton has not won since the Saudi Arabian grand prix last December. He lies 152 points behind runaway leader Max Verstappen and 30 off team-mate george Russell. His run of winning at least once every season since his debut in 2007 is under threat with just six rounds remaining after Sunday’s high-speed blast. But he said: ‘That record has zero importance to me. I’m grateful that each year I have had an opportunity to win. Here, I will have to recover as best I can from the back, but I have the chance before the season is over.’ Although Mercedes are looking to cover off the possibility of Hamilton retiring when his contract expires next year by talking to free agent Daniel Ricciardo — as revealed by Sportsmail yesterday — the 37-year-old Briton struck a defiant note. ‘For me it is about winning another world championship and that no driver has gone past seven,’ he said. ‘I don’t plan on stopping any time soon. I will be with Mercedes until the day I die.’