It’s fair to say Chelsea have had a rocky nine months with many players, staff and of course Thomas Tuchel all leaving the club and being replaced in the same amount of time.
On top of that, the Blues have also lost two cup finals to Liverpool on the same terms and are yet to achieve consistency in the new season as they are bottom of their Champions League group and seventh in Premier League.
The harm, deemed to have been caused by Tuchel, is however not irreparable, especially as Graham Potter begins to find his feet under little pressure from superiors.
Owners approval
Unlike his predecessor, Potter was brought to west London under specific instructions from Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali and has already made it clear the former Brighton and Hove Albion man is a long-term one.
The owners seemed to have little to no patience regarding Tuchel’s performance as their own relationship was already damaged. But it’s a different story this time around.
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So, although the German set the bar high for the debut season with a Champions League triumph, those expectations will not be placed on the new man in the dugout.
Potter thanking the players after their 1-1 draw against RB Salzburg.
IMAGO / PA Pictures
The Premier League
That doesn’t mean Potter will survive if things stay as they are, even though you see the building blocks laid in place for the future throughout the campaign.
It’s easy to imagine Boehly and co will want to secure Champions League football for 2023/24 after a very expensive and promising transfer window, so anything short of the top four, with no further trophies, would certainly put the coach in danger.
Potter thanking the Brighton fans after the game.
IMAGO / Professional Sports Images
After such impressive success with Brighton, gaining some leeway is perhaps the least Potter deserves and that is why coming out of the group stages in Europe is not a success story at Stamford Bridge this year.
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