Graham Potter has geared up for the challenge of facing Manchester City by warning that Chelsea must be ready to suffer before their form improves.
Chelsea have slipped to 10th after one win in seven league games and delivered a worryingly muted performance during their 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest last Sunday. That stalemate raised concerns over the team’s development under Potter, who has made an underwhelming start since replacing Thomas Tuchel as head coach in September, and was not an ideal way to prepare for Thursday’s visit from City.
However Potter, whose side are off the pace in the race to finish in the top four, rejected the idea that Chelsea have a chance to kickstart their season by beating the champions. The former Brighton manager enjoys the firm backing of Chelsea’s ownership and he pointed out that his ability to deal with setbacks had helped him throughout his coaching career.
“I wouldn’t say kickstart as we’ve played only 15 matches,” Potter said. “Such a lot has happened in those 15 matches and I’ve been here only four months – and it feels longer than that if I’m honest. It’s a season that is obviously unique. We see Man City as an opportunity to play against one of the best teams in the world. It will be a different game to the one we faced [on New Year’s Day at Forest] but it will be complicated and tough.
“You need those games [like Forest], and you need these ones as well. As much as we want to win – and I don’t want to sound like it’s acceptable to lose; it’s not – but unfortunately part of the game is dropping points, is not succeeding. You’ve got to suffer and get better. When I think back to how I got to this point, a lot of the things are the setbacks and the moments of struggle.”
Potter said that Chelsea, who visit City in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday, would back themselves against Pep Guardiola’s side.
“We have to play well ourselves – that is the key,” he said. “Then you have to understand the quality they have and try to stop it. It sounds simple when you condense it down but the reality isn’t so straightforward. They are a top team but we can cause them a problem, we can be ourselves and try to play well and put them under pressure. We need to use Stamford Bridge and then see what happens.”
