- One win in eight PL games
- Potter went unbeaten in first nine
- Faces crunch month in race for UCL
WHAT HAPPENED? After a stellar start to his career on the touchline at Stamford Bridge, Potter has now only won two of his last eight games in all competitions. A disappointing New Year's Day draw with Nottingham Forest was followed by a 1-0 defeat to Premier League champions Manchester City, leaving Potter's side 10 points adrift of automatic Champions League qualification. But despite results, the manager has called for patience.
WHAT HE SAID: Potter has addressed the criticism aimed at him early in his Chelsea tenure, saying: "I’ve been here four months and five, six weeks of that have been lost to international football.
“I think Pep (Guardiola) was (at Manchester City) a year before they’d won anything, and then obviously Mikel (Arteta) and Jurgen (Klopp) took a bit of time. But obviously it’s maybe different for me, for some reason. But I don’t put a timescale on it. I know the responsibility we have here.
“We’ve had a massive transition, problems in terms of injuries don’t make it easy to be stable, but it’s sort of blah, blah, blah isn’t it? People want to see results, and ‘shut up Graham, what are you talking about? We need to win’.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: At the time of writing, Chelsea are as closer to the relegation zone as they are to the Premier League's top four, with Potter's side 10 points ahead of 18th-placed Everton and 10 behind Manchester United in fourth. The Blues have an extensive injury list, and lost wingers Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic against City to add to their woes.
IN TWO PICTUES:
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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA? The Blues face Manchester City again in the FA Cup on Sunday, before a clash against fellow west Londoners Fulham in the Premier League in midweek.