Chelsea fans chant for Tuchel as Man City mauling piles pressure on Potter

• German sacked by Blues in September 2022
• Successor struggling to pick up results
• Disappointing defeat in FA Cup third round

WHAT HAPPENED? The Blues headed to the Etihad Stadium for a FA Cup third round clash hoping to make amends for a 1-0 defeat against the Premier League champions at Stamford Bridge in midweek. They never looked like exacting revenge, finding themselves 3-0 down by half-time, and those in the stands made it clear that they are not entirely on board with under-fire coach Potter as they serenaded his Champions League-winning predecessor.

WHAT THEY SAID: Chelsea fans could regularly be heard signing this chant during a German tactician’s reign in west London: "We've got super Thomas Tuchel, He knows exactly what we need, Thiago at the back, Timo in attack, Chelsea gonna win the Champion League."

Said tune was given more air time in Manchester as the Blues took another worrying step in the wrong direction after dropping to 10th in the Premier League table amid an alarming run of form.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Chelsea have won just two of their last 10 games in all competitions, with only one of those successes – at home to struggling Bournemouth – coming in the league and Potter is already seeing questions asked of his ongoing presence a matter of months after succeeding Tuchel at Stamford Bridge in September.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

Getty

Getty Images

WHAT NEXT? Tuchel was surprisingly relieved of his managerial duties early in the 2022-23 campaign despite having landed Champions League and Club World Cup crowns during his tenure, while also being given over £250 million ($302m) to spend on new recruits during the last summer transfer window.