Graham Potter has opened up on the mental health issues that impact football managers on a constant basis.
Nowadays, in the social media era, football managers and players are under the spotlight more than ever before. This has led to athletes or coaches being abused on the social media platforms and there have been numerous campaigns trying to combat the rising issue.
Sometimes it can be forgotten that managers receive just as much abuse as players online. It's perhaps an issue that goes under the radar a bit and Chelsea head coach Potter has now been speaking about the battle.
READ MORE: Every word Graham Potter said on Brighton vs Chelsea, Kovacic, Koulibaly and Laurence Stewart
"We are part of a sport where we create pressure," Potter explained in his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. "Somebody has to be under pressure, whatever it is and it will be one after the other, after the other, after the other.
"Then one's gone and it is on to the next. It was Steven Gerrard a few weeks ago and then it will be somebody else and then somebody else.
"It is difficult in the world that we are living in to feel sorry for a Premier League manager, get me right, but mental health doesn't really discriminate with your status or how much money you earn either, I would say. It is just something to be aware of.
"It is a challenge and I think we all have to be mindful of that. I think you have to understand you do the job and there are things out of your control that you have to manage and you have to deal with.
"I have said many times: it's not in my interest to read stuff [in the media], or go on social media or listen to the radio, because I have got enough problems."
Potter, who is unbeaten after his first nine matches as Chelsea head coach, is now in a job where he will come under much more pressure than his previous role at Brighton & Hove Albion. The Blues, under Roman Abramovich, anyway, had a reputation of sacking managers quickly, but Potter has a plan to deal with the pressure on his shoulders.
"Spend time with my family is the first place I would look," Potter replied when asked how he deals with pressure. "My kids, I have seven-year-old twins, they are fun. They give you perspective.
"You have got these problems and then you speak to a seven-year-old and everything becomes a little bit simpler. And a 12-year-old. So a young family, they give me energy, they give me perspective.
"I like to go for a walk, occasional bit of exercise though looking at me you wouldn't think that. A little bit of reading now and again but not too much. Podcast here and there and sometimes a brain dump watching a Netflix series or something."
Potter returns to the Amex Stadium to face his former side Brighton for the first time since leaving the south coast club last month to join Chelsea. The match kicks off at 3pm today and you can follow all of the live coverage right here on football.london.
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