Potter’s schooled by the class acts
GRAHAM POTTER has just pitted his wits against Mikel Arteta, Antonio Conte and
Pep Guardiola – and his only regret is that he couldn’t chat with them for longer.
Potter’s Brighton came out of those games with away wins at Arsenal and Tottenham and a defeat at Manchester City, though they held the champions to a goalless first half before succumbing to the inevitable.
He also guided Brighton to a draw away to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool this season and it has been a steep learning curve for a young coach who hadn’t managed in the Premier League until he arrived from Swansea City in May 2019.
But as his side prepare to take on Southampton today, Potter wishes he could pick the brains of the top managers he faces.
“Sadly you don’t get to speak to them too much, which is a bit of a shame,” he said.
“The way the game is, people go off and there’s not that much dialogue.
“But I respect all of them. They are fantastic managers, and just to play against them and watch their teams you learn a lot. You see how they prepare and their ideas, and what they are trying to do.
“You can learn every day from those experiences.”
It looks like Potter is doing that, with Brighton just a point away from their best Premier League total ever.
And they are on target to surpass their best top-flight finish – 13th in the 1981-82 season.
Potter, who hopes to have Leandro Trossard back from illness today, added: “We’ve got five games remaining and we’ve already got 40 points.
“We’re going to try and get as many more as we can.”