PLEASE BE PATIENT...
Potter wants time to build his team
GRAHAM POTTER believes the success of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola proves that top Premier League bosses need time. Both endured slow starts at Liverpool and Manchester City respectively, with Klopp finishing eighth in his first season in charge while Guardiola guided City to an underwhelming third-placed finish.
Chelsea head coach Potter had enjoyed a positive start to life at the club after being appointed in September but was dealt a significant setback last weekend when he watched his side get thumped 4-1 at former club Brighton.
Ahead of this afternoon’s London derby clash with Arsenal, who are looking to return to the top of the table after Manchester City’s home win over Fulham yesterday sent them to the summit, Potter insists both of his Premier League-winning rival bosses have shown that it takes time to build a successful team.
‘If you look at Pep’s first year, if you look at how long it took Jurgen, these guys are top, top people but even they don’t just walk in, click their fingers, and everything’s perfect,’ said Potter.
‘You guys (the media), it’s your job to create the pressure, it’s your job to create the noise, to create the story, and sometimes we don’t do well enough so it’s justified.
‘People think that it’s just going to happen for you, it’s incredible. At what level does that happen?
‘It’s quite a dangerous message to tell people but it is what it is. Alex Ferguson took his time I think if I remember rightly, and he did quite well!
‘Pep’s a genius and he didn’t just walk in and “everything is fine”. Jurgen took some time.
‘The evidence is there. If people want to use another narrative then that’s fine, I can’t control that.
‘The team that I left at Brighton wasn’t the team I started with at Brighton. It grew and it developed.
‘Sometimes you fall on your face and you have to pick yourself up and take the criticism because everybody is wise after the event, all these people who are experts afterwards.’
Chelsea have been known to swap managers frequently in recent years and, despite an ownership change earlier this year, chose to part ways with Thomas Tuchel following a disappointing start to the season.
And Potter acknowledged that there must be positive results in the short-term if long-term success is to be achieved.
‘It’s a process of a period of pain and suffering, but clearly you need results along the way because they help you convince people you’re on the right path,’ explained Potter.
‘As I’ve said before, as a coach you have to understand the short term, medium term and long term. If you just focus on the medium and long and ignore the short term, then you’re in trouble.
‘You want to try and build something, but you also need to acknowledge the fact that supporters need to see performances, need to see results, need to see wins.’
Potter will be without Ben Chilwell this afternoon, with the England defender expected to miss the World Cup due to the hamstring injury he picked up in the 2-1 Champions League midweek win over Dinamo Zagreb.
A club statement read: ‘Following the injury sustained in our recent game against Dinamo Zagreb, Ben has undergone a scan on his hamstring.
‘Results show that Ben has suffered a significant injury and the defender is unfortunately expected to miss the World Cup.’