Chelsea fixtures compared with Liverpool and Tottenham…

Chelsea fixtures compared with Liverpool and Tottenham as Graham Potter has 3 games to save job

When Chelsea fans turn on their manager it has been historically tough for them to win back the admiration. In Graham Potter's case he never seems to have truly won many over.

The 1-0 loss at home to Southampton was a dark day for the Blues, completely reversing any of the optimism taken from their Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund, which also ended in defeat. It means Potter has managed just three wins in the past 15 matches.

2023 has also only seen one victory come about. Seventeenth-placed Bournemouth are the only side they have beaten despite facing two of the bottom three in recent weeks. It's a sorry state of affairs.

Star duo Reece James and Thiago Silva were amongst those rested for the game but that decision appeared to backfire as the Blues lost all semblance of shape or control for 45 minutes. The second half proved better but goalscoring woes continued with both this being the fourth match of the past five that they have failed to score in.

Any lingering hopes of a top four finish have all but vanished meaning that the home leg against Dortmund is effectively the last chance to make something of the season. It gives Potter a little over two weeks to get his side ready for that game and may prove to be a defiining fortnight in his tenure.

Here's what is coming up for the man under the microscope.

Tottenham (A) - February 26

Things don't get any easier for Potter. Chelsea have a 100% record at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and have won there even when managers have been in recent peril. Blues fans take great joy in putting Spurs managers to the sword at their own hands but may now be fearing for this clash.

Ahead of Antonio Conte's trip to Leicester on Sunday there remain questions over his own future in London after two defeats in a week following the victory over Manchester City. Conte's surgery and decision to return to Italy also puts his attendance for this match in doubt.

The worry for Potter will be that Chelsea fans remember those who fail against Tottenham more than most.

Leeds (H) - March 4

The Yorkshire side fit the bill for a tough game for Chelsea. Currently inside the relegation zone and still managerless after the sacking of Jesse Marsch, Leeds look on paper like the worst nightmare for the Blues.

Having already lost at the hands of their historic rivals it would sum up the season should they fail to register a win over another of the Premier League's relegation candidates. With this being the final match before the Champions League return it has even more importance.

Borussia Dortmund (H) - March 7

This is Chelsea's season in a single match. Anything but European progression will leave the rest of the domestic year all but over. Potter has the task of overturning a narrow first leg defeat and must do it under the most intense of scrutiny.

His best results have come in Europe so far so there is still a chance but it will be hard to see Chelsea garnering too much belief should their domestic form not pick up in the next two matches before this. The Champions League has been the maker and breaker of previous managers, how Todd Boehly and Co feel about the competition will go a long way to deciding Potter's fate.

Leicester City (A) - March 11

It's back to domestic action after that though for a reunion with another former Blues figure. Brendan Rodgers, who has come under his own pressure with the Foxes this season, will be hoping to add to the misery and gloom at Stamford Bridge. They have scored four in each of their past two games and have risen out of the relegation scrap for now.

With a host of teams still involved in the bid to escape the drop it is far from comfortable for the hosts here though, meaning Chelsea will have to be on form to get anything from the game.

Liverpool next four fixtures:

Real Madrid, Champions League (H) - February 21

Crystal Palace (A) - February 25

Wolves (H) - March 1

Manchester United (H) - March 5

Newcastle next four fixtures:

Man United (N), Carabao Cup final - February 26

Man City (A) - March 4

Wolves (H) - March 12

Nottingham Forest (A) - March 17

Manchester United next four fixtures:

Leicester (H) - February 19