Ultimately, Saturday’s 2 – 0 defeat against Aston Villa was the final nail in the coffin for Graham Potter at Chelsea.
The announcement that Graham Potter had been sacked as manager followed on Sunday evening.
Graham Potter will have many sympathisers, however, this decision felt inevitable given Chelsea’s results. It’s hard not to think the surprise availability of former Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann is a factor.
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While disappointment is felt on behalf of Potter, letting him go is probably the right decision. The wrong decision was hiring him in the first place, as he never seemed suited to Chelsea.
Potter was a hipster’s favourite, a project manager. He won three promotions in five seasons with Ostersunds in the Swedish league to make his name. Following one season at Swansea he joined Brighton and led them to their highest ever league finish last season.
Remarkable work which earned him the chance at the Chelsea job, but the pressure proved too big an adjustment. Potter said his mental health suffered amidst poor results and anonymous threats sent to him and his family.
You could see the effect of this in his increasingly fraught post-match interviews. He began to speak how a Chelsea manager ‘should’ speak, making statements like ‘the result is the most important thing’. This is a guy with a degree in emotional intelligence who gets his players to perform in plays to foster team spirit. Potter likely doesn’t see football in such black and white terms.
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At Chelsea, though, it is that black and white. If you’re going to say winning is the most important thing and continue not winning, your days are numbered.
This leaves Chelsea, yet again, in an existential moment. New owner Todd Boehly’s long-term project with Potter has been abandoned, leading to questions about which direction he goes next.
Do Chelsea go for another project manager, perhaps Nagelsmann, who has more big club experience? Or do they go for a manager who can be successful in the short term, whoever that is?
Chelsea play Real Madrid in the Champions League next week. Get knocked out, and their season is over.
