Graham Potter | turns down Ajax job

BorisManUtd said:
It's like you're forcing others to be critical of Potter. He had no preseason with this team, came in just 50 days ago or so, has had some good results in CL so far. It's perfectly fine that media aren't turning their attention on Potter and Chelsea just yet. They will with time if Chelsea struggle.

Tuchel was fired but Tuchel had been at the club for year and a half, had preseason etc.
Click to expand...
You can be critical of the team and potter. That’s now three league games in a row when Potter has sent them out completely unprepared.
Chelsea season didnt just start a month ago, they have been so bad they already got one manager sacked. Why does anybody there get a free pass? I’ve already pointed out this shouldn’t be on Potter and the improvement hasn’t come yet where you can give them the benefit of the doubt. Today has been their 2022 league form all in one game.
Edit you have one fan claiming they aren’t getting the same spotlight as our 4-0 Brentford lost because we lost the game before. This so the team who just got a CL winning manager sacked! It’s as if the media has used the MIB mind wiper on us
 
BorisManUtd said:
It's like you're forcing others to be critical of Potter. He had no preseason with this team, came in just 50 days ago or so, has had some good results in CL so far. It's perfectly fine that media aren't turning their attention on Potter and Chelsea just yet. They will with time if Chelsea struggle.

Tuchel was fired but Tuchel had been at the club for year and a half, had preseason etc.
Click to expand...

That’s @cyberman for you :D
 
BorisManUtd said:
It's like you're forcing others to be critical of Potter. He had no preseason with this team, came in just 50 days ago or so, has had some good results in CL so far. It's perfectly fine that media aren't turning their attention on Potter and Chelsea just yet. They will with time if Chelsea struggle.

Tuchel was fired but Tuchel had been at the club for year and a half, had preseason etc.
Click to expand...
You shouldn't need a preseason to not do crazy tactics though. Sterling can do a job at wingback, but playing him there every week just screams I have no faith in your finishing.

Edit, wrong quote
 
I mean I called this even when he was getting results, they looked bad. Finally starting to show. They should’ve lost to us too.
 
NewYorkRed said:
I mean I called this even when he was getting results, they looked bad. Finally starting to show. They should’ve lost to us too.
Click to expand...

Yup they've had really really good luck this season. They're 13th in terms of xG this season (3 new CBs lol) and 10th in xGD. Many sides better than them.
 
His constant tinkering and playing players in daft positions has prevented them from developing proper rhythm and chemistry - possibly contributed to injuries also.

Brighton was his level. He won’t be at Chelsea in a year’s time. I predict he’ll be somewhere like Leeds.
 
I think he's a very good manager who deserves his shot at a top six club, but Chelsea is about the absolute worst fit for him of those.

I could see him doing well at Spurs or Arsenal with the time and backing to build his own team, but with Chelsea it's win now with what you've got or feck off.
 
Have to say I've always been a Potter sceptic. His goalscoring record at Brighton was very poor, even for a lower mid-team. Think they managed about the same number of goals as Burnley over his three full seasons there. They had a style that worked for them, which was continually overloading midfield to give themselves defensive security via ball control. That worked well for Brighton and let them play good possession football in the middle third, but at the expense of chance creation. I always found them very frustrating to watch, since every time they'd get to attacking positions, they'd turn instead back into midfield rather than risking that final pass. At the end of the day, they finished 15th, 16th and 9th under him. That's a solid performance for a small club trying to stay out of the relegation battle, but nothing that makes you think he'd succeed at an elite club.

Chelsea have a decent squad and shipping four goals is not something I expect to see very often. I think they'll go back to being tight defensively and won't go on a run of losses. This won't be the start of a run that sees him out at Liz Truss speeds. But out of the current top 6, I definitely see them as outsiders for the top 4 positions, simply due to the manager.
 
Rhyme Animal said:
His constant tinkering and playing players in daft positions has prevented them from developing proper rhythm and chemistry - possibly contributed to injuries also.

Brighton was his level. He won’t be at Chelsea in a year’s time. I predict he’ll be somewhere like Leeds.
Click to expand...
He was massively overperforming at Brighton. He deserved a chance at a bigger club. His main issue at Chelsea is he won't get time. They will have to perform, or he'll be shipped out quick.
 
Give him some more time, of course. Though that’s always the risk with Chelsea. I rate him, but I guess we’ll see. As it is for players, the step up to a big 6 club is massive and some just can’t cope, no matter how well they’ve done elsewhere but way too early to tell.
 
Rhyme Animal said:
His constant tinkering and playing players in daft positions has prevented them from developing proper rhythm and chemistry - possibly contributed to injuries also.

Brighton was his level. He won’t be at Chelsea in a year’s time. I predict he’ll be somewhere like Leeds.
Click to expand...

I'm struggling to think how playing players in different positions leads to injuries. I can't think of any link, whatsoever.

Besides, all the players who are injured have played in their main positions, or not played at all in Kante's case, so that goes against that idea.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

I think it is silly to jump on him. Chelsea have a lot of issues in the player department. Kante is finished with his injuries; Kovacic is playing through a knee injury and can only be used sparingly; James is injured and they have no back up for him; their signings in the summer did not fix the faults in the team last season. Their team is also pretty old.

In the end, it is going to take time. I think if it was a foreign manger, people would not be jumping on them at all at this point. Do people forget that Tuchel lost 5-1 to West Brom in his first season, who ended up being relegated? It can always happen, but can be particularly a problem when taking over mid-season.
 
Last edited:
CloneMC16 said:
He was massively overperforming at Brighton. He deserved a chance at a bigger club. His main issue at Chelsea is he won't get time. They will have to perform, or he'll be shipped out quick.
Click to expand...

Problem is the Chelsea squad in key areas largely has a short term element to it.

Thiago Silva is 38 so as brilliant as he still is in certain parts he's not a long term solution and nor is Kouliably really. Fofana is but he's been injured for last few weeks so hasn't played under Potter much, same for Reece James.

Midfield is in transition with Kante and Jorginho probably both going to move on soon and someone like Conor Gallagher yet to prove he can play effectively at Chelsea's level.

And upfront because of Chelsea botching the Lukaku return and Werner they had to make short term move just to get a number 9 in their squad. Aubameyang isn't really a Potter forward in any respect as he's a box player these days and Potter had at Brighton CFs who could move around the pitch and create space.

It's unconvincing domestically but he needs a couple of transfer windows to let go of some of the old guard and freshen up some areas so 12 months time will be a true judge of where he's guiding Chelsea.
 
cyberman said:
It’s the performances, terrible v Palace and Villa as well. Never mind getting away with it time and time again with VAR and woeful decisions going their way.
Tuchel was still winning while playing just as bad and he was fired for it. Not saying Potter should be fired but there needs to be recognition about how flat their performances have been time and time again and Potter is struggling to correct it
Click to expand...
Tuchel wasnt fired when he was winning games. His style was more boring for more extended periods, with transfer windows and without results.
 
Leonzo1 said:
Bohely has assembled an incredibly unblanced side. There is not a single player in that team bar Thiago Silva that has a fixed posaition. Constant rotation, formation changes and position changes aren't doing them any favours. Sure they had some decent performances this season but they look uninspired and disjointed most of the time.
Click to expand...

It’s a perfect starting squad for Potter. He’s a post-formation manager. He needs a squad that’s flexible and he has one.

He’s lost one game in ten(?). Across a season that’s a great record. The longer he gets with the squad, adding a few players, learning more about what he already has… the better they will get.
 
UnrelatedPsuedo said:
It’s a perfect starting squad for Potter. He’s a post-formation manager. He needs a squad that’s flexible and he has one.

He’s lost one game in ten(?). Across a season that’s a great record. The longer he gets with the squad, adding a few players, learning more about what he already has… the better they will get.
Click to expand...
What on Earth is that supposed to mean, his sides play kick and rush?
 
V.O. said:
I think he's a very good manager who deserves his shot at a top six club, but Chelsea is about the absolute worst fit for him of those.

I could see him doing well at Spurs or Arsenal with the time and backing to build his own team, but with Chelsea it's win now with what you've got or feck off.
Click to expand...

Chelsea is the ultimate free hit for him. He’s now set for life. If he’s fired in a year, he’s walking away for millions. If he’s successful he earns millions. If he’s fired his reputation doesn’t suffer, because Chelsea. If he isn’t, it means he’s been a success.

Free hit. Paying handsomely.
 
cyberman said:
I don’t blame Potter. He should have been brought in sooner, it’s like Ten Hag coming here without Eriksen, Martinez and Antony.
Click to expand...
He’s absolutely to blame for his lineups and formations though. Consistently picking the wrong tactics and starting 11.
 
FootballHQ said:
Problem is the Chelsea squad in key areas largely has a short term element to it.

Thiago Silva is 38 so as brilliant as he still is in certain parts he's not a long term solution and nor is Kouliably really. Fofana is but he's been injured for last few weeks so hasn't played under Potter much, same for Reece James.

Midfield is in transition with Kante and Jorginho probably both going to move on soon and someone like Conor Gallagher yet to prove he can play effectively at Chelsea's level.

And upfront because of Chelsea botching the Lukaku return and Werner they had to make short term move just to get a number 9 in their squad. Aubameyang isn't really a Potter forward in any respect as he's a box player these days and Potter had at Brighton CFs who could move around the pitch and create space.

It's unconvincing domestically but he needs a couple of transfer windows to let go of some of the old guard and freshen up some areas so 12 months time will be a true judge of where he's guiding Chelsea.
Click to expand...
Completely agree with all of this. That's why I think he needs time, but he won't get it at Chelsea. If Boehly had any doubts about Tuchel, he should have sacked him at the start of the summer. Bring in Potter and let him have preseason with the team. Let him bring in some of the players he wants.

I looked at the Chelsea starting team today, and it honestly looks really average. No James and Chilwell is big for them. Kovacic is elite, and so is Silva, but he's too old to build a team around. The rest don't look that amazing or are still unproven. I think they desperately need at least one new midfielder and multiple attacking players. The attacking players they have are the biggest concern. They bought them for a lot of money, and none of them have really performed.

If they continue like this, there's no chance he gets 12 months. It's unfortunate, because I think he would be good for them if they allowed him time to build his own team. Some of his line-ups have been very questionable, though. You can't do that and expect people to still back you when it goes wrong.
 
phelans shorts said:
So you’re talking nonsense then. The shape you refer to is, in football parlance, their formation.
Click to expand...

Jesus Christ don’t get so defensive because you can’t instantly accept something.

Shape has absolutely feck all to do with formation. They’re two completely different things.

His teams will drill shape more often than formation. Teams will spend a whole week preparing for what happens when (for example), the next opponents right back gets the ball. If that’s a targeted weakness.

They don’t spend the week working on set way of playing. Peps teams will go through a season and have most touch-maps or heat-maps that look identical or adjacent to each other. He drills for tactical perfection and believes in controlling the game.

Potter doesn’t. Obviously his teams are coached to play a style, to act certain ways in certain moments, but he’s not wedded to 3-4-3. The back 3 are almost an ever present, but the 4-3 are involved in ridiculous amounts of variation. They change game to game and his focus is on exploiting the opposing teams weaknesses, rather than focusing on his team strengths.

I’m not a fan boy. I’m not suggesting his approach is better. But it’s childish to suggest it’s not different. Maybe his approach changes at a club that allows him to buy world class players all over the pitch. Maybe it doesn’t. But he doesn’t - at this point - have a set formation that he’s wedded to.
 
BorisManUtd said:
It's like you're forcing others to be critical of Potter. He had no preseason with this team, came in just 50 days ago or so, has had some good results in CL so far. It's perfectly fine that media aren't turning their attention on Potter and Chelsea just yet. They will with time if Chelsea struggle.

Tuchel was fired but Tuchel had been at the club for year and a half, had preseason etc.
Click to expand...
I’d be all for this had the usual lot not been downing at the mouth after EtH had 2 games in charge.

Potter may go on to be a success but as has been pointed out here he’s sent them out 3 games in a row looking terrible, people have only just began to shut up about EtHs first half at the Etihad. . .
 
UnrelatedPsuedo said:
Jesus Christ don’t get so defensive because you can’t instantly accept something.

Shape has absolutely feck all to do with formation. They’re two completely different things.

His teams will drill shape more often than formation. Teams will spend a whole week preparing for what happens when (for example), the next opponents right back gets the ball. If that’s a targeted weakness.

They don’t spend the week working on set way of playing. Peps teams will go through a season and have most touch-maps or heat-maps that look identical or adjacent to each other. He drills for tactical perfection and believes in controlling the game.

Potter doesn’t. Obviously his teams are coached to play a style, to act certain ways in certain moments, but he’s not wedded to 3-4-3. The back 3 are almost an ever present, but the 4-3 are involved in ridiculous amounts of variation. They change game to game and his focus is on exploiting the opposing teams weaknesses, rather than focusing on his team strengths.

I’m not a fan boy. I’m not suggesting his approach is better. But it’s childish to suggest it’s not different. Maybe his approach changes at a club that allows him to buy world class players all over the pitch. Maybe it doesn’t. But he doesn’t - at this point - have a set formation that he’s wedded to.
Click to expand...
So he changes his formation depending on who’s available and his opponents. Like 99% of managers in football history.

Got it.
 
AFC NimbleThumb said:
I’d be all for this had the usual lot not been downing at the mouth after EtH had 2 games in charge.

Potter may go on to be a success but as has been pointed out here he’s sent them out 3 games in a row looking terrible, people have only just began to shut up about EtHs first half at the Etihad. . .
Click to expand...
To be honest I don't care much about that. People were saying that Lampard was media darling at Chelsea but that didn't help him in the end as he got sacked. LvG got sacked because he failed, not because media/people treated him badly or anything.
 
He is a good coach and dare I say better one than Arteta and Lampard, provided chelsea let him do his thing and give him time
 
V.O. said:
I think he's a very good manager who deserves his shot at a top six club, but Chelsea is about the absolute worst fit for him of those.

I could see him doing well at Spurs or Arsenal with the time and backing to build his own team, but with Chelsea it's win now with what you've got or feck off.
Click to expand...
England job should be his if he gets the sack at Chelsea
 
BorisManUtd said:
To be honest I don't care much about that. People were saying that Lampard was media darling at Chelsea but that didn't help him in the end as he got sacked. LvG got sacked because he failed, not because media/people treated him badly or anything.
Click to expand...
Not sure why you’re bringing up LvG & Lampard instead of addressing the 2 managers currently in situ.
 
He's been there for only 10 games. The likelihood is the results they've had would probably have been the same if Tuchel was still there or if they even had no manager at all, and any praise he got when he was winning and any criticism he gets now when he's lost is all pointless. That's not a criticism, just a comment on what I think is the over analysis of the situation after such a short amount of time.
 
AFC NimbleThumb said:
Not sure why you’re bringing up LvG & Lampard instead of addressing the 2 managers currently in situ.
Click to expand...
Because being/not being media darling isn't something that'll decide your future at some club. If Potter is to fail at Chelsea, it'll happen despite not getting criticised at this moment.
 
Surely today shows that he should be given a lot of time? Team he build that has a lot worse squad battered Chelsea. Looking at Transfermarkt's squad values, Brighton are still third from the bottom despite the constant good results.
 
BorisManUtd said:
Because being/not being media darling isn't something that'll decide your future at some club. If Potter is to fail at Chelsea, it'll happen despite not getting criticised at this moment.
Click to expand...
When did I mention being a ‘media darling’ whatever the hell that is. You made a point about 50 days & how he hasn’t been in charge for long, I simply said that would be fine had EtH not been rounded on after games 1 & 2.

Potter being a media darling has nothing to do with him continuing to send his teams out unprepared.
 
AFC NimbleThumb said:
When did I mention being a ‘media darling’ whatever the hell that is. You made a point about 50 days & how he hasn’t been in charge for long, I simply said that would be fine had EtH not been rounded on after games 1 & 2.

Potter being a media darling has nothing to do with him continuing to send his teams out unprepared.
Click to expand...
He didn't have preseason with Chelsea, EtH had preseason with our team. Potter's first few results were a draw and a win or something like that, ten Hag started losing 2-1 to Brighton at home and then 4-0 away to Brentford. Us losing 4-0 in 2nd match of new season looked like same old stuff from last season (Watford, Brighton, City, Liverpool etc).

But main thing to me: if EtH is real deal, he'll most probably make it at United. If Potter isn't, he won't make it at Chelsea. Worrying about others' narratives shouldn't faze us much. Who cares.
 
CloneMC16 said:
He was massively overperforming at Brighton. He deserved a chance at a bigger club. His main issue at Chelsea is he won't get time. They will have to perform, or he'll be shipped out quick.
Click to expand...

This really isn't the case. Under Chris Houghton they finished 15th and 17th. Under Potter they finished 15th, 16th then 9th. So two seasons of performing at the exact same level as before he joined, then one season that was a bit better, albeit they were still strictly midtable, level on points with Wolves (ahead on GD). They may have been aesthetically pleasing to some, but their overall performance under Potter wasnt exactly wildly better than expected.
 
largelyworried said:
This really isn't the case. Under Chris Houghton they finished 15th and 17th. Under Potter they finished 15th, 16th then 9th. So two seasons of performing at the exact same level as before he joined, then one season that was a bit better, albeit they were still strictly midtable, level on points with Wolves (ahead on GD). They may have been aesthetically pleasing to some, but their overall performance under Potter wasnt exactly wildly better than expected.
Click to expand...
and they’ve picked up exactly where they left off with De Zerbi, who whilst good was not on any top sides lists of potential managers
 
You must log in or register to reply here.