GRAHAM POTTER is facing his first major crisis as Chelsea manager.
The former Brighton boss was appointed only four months ago, but has already faced calls for him to be sacked – most notably from Blues icon Frank Leboeuf.
Potter, 47, is determined to turn things around at Stamford Bridge, but will need owner Todd Boehly to show the sort of faith that his predecessor Roman Abramovich rarely exhibited.
The Blues have crashed out of both domestic cups, each time to Manchester City – with Potter’s men producing a damning display during yesterday’s 4-0 defeat at the Etihad.
Things have also been rough in the Premier League.
Chelsea had already got off to a dodgy start under Thomas Tuchel, losing 3-0 at Leeds and 2-1 at Southampton.
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Potter managed to win his first three Prem games in charge, but things have gone downhill ever since.
The Blues are on a dismal run of just one win in their last eight league games.
In a table comprised of just matches since Potter took charge at Stamford Bridge, the Blues sit 11th with four wins, three draws and four defeats.
This is the worst start of any Chelsea manager through 11 Prem games in 30 years.
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The Blues have accrued fewer points than Fulham, Brentford, Crystal Palace and Leicester in this period.
They have also gathered only four points more than relegation-threatened Everton.
A worrying factor has been the Blues’ total lack of firepower up front.
Chelsea have scored just 12 goals in these 11 games, ranking 13th in the Prem.
Their shooting stats are also poor.
They have registered 116 shots and 40 on target in Potter’s 11 league games – ranking 16th and 15th in the Prem.
Chelsea have a shot conversion rate of 10.3, which ranks 14th in the league.
They have also struggled to win their duels with a percentage of just 48.7, the 16th best tally in the Prem.
Chelsea have also made five glaring individual errors leading to goals, the fourth worst number over the last 11 Prem games.
The first half was painful and tough for us all
Graham Potter
After yesterday’s match, Potter admitted it had been a “painful” afternoon at the Etihad, as fans sang his predecessor Tuchel’s name.
He said: “The first half was painful and tough for us all. We were second best to a very, very good side.
“We are not in a great moment and even though it was a cagey first 20 minutes we couldn’t attack the back line well enough.
“Manchester City are very good at stopping you doing that but at the same time we struggled.”
‘IT ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH’
He then added: “You can make excuses and look for reasons or say it isn’t good enough. Both of those answers are correct.
“We have to keep improving and stick together because clearly we are suffering as a football club and it’s not nice at all.
“You understand the supporters’ frustration, we respect that.
“There are always other opinions and negativity and criticism because the results haven’t been positive.
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“That’s part of the job and part of the challenge.”
The Blues are back in action on Thursday when they make the short trip to Fulham, with their fellow West Londoners going into the match three points ahead of them.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
