Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has provided his thoughts on the current situation at Chelsea and the future of Graham Potter ahead of their Premier League clash against Tottenham. The Blues suffered a shock defeat against Southampton last weekend as Potter made six changes from the team that drew against West Ham with Reece James and Thiago Silva notable omissions.
David Datro Fofana, making his starting debut, was also one of the changes with Ben Chilwell and Mateo Kovacic making returns to the first XI after their respective injury issues. The Blues had more than enough on the pitch to beat Southampton, who sat bottom of the league heading into the clash without a manager, but a James Ward-Prowse free kick gave the Saints a much-needed win that piled more pressure on Potter.
Potter faced significant criticism at the time for his decision to leave out several key first-team stars. However, it was revealed in the days after the game he was following the advice of the medical team. Potter was informed James, Silva, Mykhailo Mudryk and Kai Havertz were all an injury risk if they started, so Potter named the latter duo on the bench with Silva and James missing out entirely, a decision that impressed Merson.
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"What I love about Potter is that he has looked after the club and the players before himself," he wrote in his SportsKeeda predictions column. "He is under major pressure. He could have played Reece James and Thiago Silva last weekend because he has a job to keep. But what did he do? He didn't want to risk injuries for those players and chose to leave them out.
"He has looked after them. He could have chosen not to protect those players but he opted to look at the bigger picture."
Up next for Chelsea is a London derby against their fierce rivals Tottenham. The two teams saw their reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge explode into chaos at full time with Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte at the centre of a brawl.
The significance of this clash is perhaps higher than normal given each teams' ambitions for the season with Spurs entering the top four for the first time since New Year's Day after their win against West Ham. For Chelsea though, this game is arguably bigger as it will be a key moment in the reign of Potter.
"This is one of Chelsea's biggest games of the season," Merson said. "These are two teams that do not like each other. If Chelsea go and get beaten here, it adds more pressure on Potter. I want him to stay.
"If Chelsea play the team that squared off against Southampton last weekend, they won't win the game against Spurs. If Potter goes back to his tried and tested system, the Blues will beat Spurs all day long."
One of the biggest decisions heading into the game from a Chelsea perspective is who will be named in Potter's starting XI. Merson has now provided his verdict on the team he hopes Potter's deploys at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which involves a brutal snub of two January signings.
He said: "This is the starting XI I hope Potter goes with: Kepa, Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Benoit Badiashile, Thiago Silva, Enzo Fernandez, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz and Joao Felix
"If this team plays, they will beat Tottenham 3-0. If he plays Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke, they won't beat Spurs."
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