Graham Potter admits that his Chelsea job is in peril ahead of a crucial match against Leeds amid a six-game winless run for the club.
Chelsea desperately need to win at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon after falling to tenth place in the Premier League table, having scored just once in the last six matches.
The atmosphere in front of 40,000 of the club’s own fans could turn toxic if further points are dropped.
Speaking ahead of a week where the west Londoners also face Borussia Dortmund at home in the return leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, Potter admits that he can’t take the owners’ backing for granted.
He said: “When you are a head coach and you start on this journey you say well if the results aren’t good enough then you know your job is in peril. That’s the life we lead.
“I just have to accept that and do my best and try to improve the situation we are in until there is a point where we are not able to go forward. But that hasn’t been the case and we keep fighting.”
Making matters worse, the Blues will be without Thiago Silva for six weeks after injured his knee ligaments while captaining his side in the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham last week.
He added: “You’re always going to miss a player and a person of Thiago Silva’s quality. But at the same time, it’s an opportunity for other players.
“There’s not another Thiago Silva so we need to find a solution as a group together. I think that’s what the players have been working towards.
Mason Mount joins N’Golo Kante, Cesar Azpilicueta, Edouard Mendy, Christian Pulisic and Armando Broja on the sidelines, while Reece James is a major doubt through a tight hamstring.
Potter will have plenty of options, however, with a 32-man squad at his disposal following a record-breaking season of spending on 17 new players.
Asked about whether he feels the support of his players, Potter initially responded: “Yes, yes I do.”
He would then admit that his coaching hasn’t yet triggered a response: “When you’ve had the results we have had clearly it is not perfect otherwise you would have better results.
“Clearly it is a process of how to get our message across better. How can we structure things in a way to help the players because that is what we are here for.
“When results aren’t good, from my point of view you have to accept that we haven’t done it well enough.
“Now that’s the reality we are in and I am sure the players will take responsibility and admit they can do better as well.
“We are in it together. I don’t feel any loss of anything.
“I feel the support of the players, I feel the support of everyone here. I understand the frustrations externally but among the players, it is a desire for us all to do better and that is the pleasing thing. The results haven’t been good but we are still fighting for each other.”
