Chelsea
A culture change at Chelsea? Graham Potter in for the long haul?
I believe it when it happens. The last time a Chelsea boss lasted five years - the length of Potter’s contract - was Dave Sexton who was sacked in 1974. But I do agree that Chelsea need a change of plan, and hope it works for the future prospects of British managers at top clubs.
Potter is a club builder and his style needs trust, patience and time to create a dynasty like Jurgen Klopp or Sir Alex Ferguson. But short term he’ll need results too. Lose four or five quickly and pressure is on.
Never mind that, he now has to cope with a pressure to win nine of our ten games. And to win a trophy a season, at least. And to outwit the best in Europe. At Ostersunds, Swansea and Brighton he’s not worked under that sort of tight margin of error. They were not favourites going into games. Now he is.
I think Potter is fantastic. I watched him at Ostersunds, against Arsenal, brilliant. It is great to see a major club like Chelsea, contenders for everything, appoint an English manager.
They’ve not gone the usual route and picked the nearest member of European, World, coaching royality who is available. They’ve gone for Potter of Brighton, not the continent. It is a breath of fresh air seeing him get this chance. And he played for Macclesfield Town back in the day!
He will produce a progressive, dynamic, organised Chelsea, with some values that will endure. The players are there for him to succeed. But he has to improve those players, with his tactics and energy. He has improved every team he has been at. He inherits a young group, and he has an unbelievable chance.
It goes against the grain. But it is an optimistic appointment for British managers who do well. Somehow, probably because of their big spending and star quality, the Chelsea model under Roman Abravomic worked.
Win trophy, have a dip, sack manager, repeat. But they still won trophies and kept their players sharp, refreshed and interested with new coaches! Potter’s arrival feels different. This is a new era.
The new owners are investment capitalists and need a sensible return and the add value not just spend and spend. People say it is not relevant to bring up Macclesfield, but it is my experience of these issues and they are the same at the top and bottom of the football pyramid.
At Macc we have won seven out of eight games, but we have played poorly and questions are being asked. We are also expected to win every game. If we had a dip I’d have to think: do I have to make a change? It is such a difficult situation for owners, there are so many variables.
So I understand where Chelsea have been coming from in recent years. Do I feel sorry for Tuchel? Well, he won the Champions League. But you have to judge the dressing room mood, the plan, the feel.
The owners will have thought long and hard and it will not be an easy decision. You look at Chelsea’s performances this season and there is a problem. Tuchel said “everything was missing”. He paid the price for that.
I don’t understand spending all that money in the summer window and then getting rid of the manager when the window shuts. But with Potter they are backing his coaching to have an impact. He has to hit the ground running, Tuchel is a hard act to follow. The expectation is now huge on Potter.
His psyche has to be to win the Premier League and win the Champions League. That’s a shift, added pressure, but one he can rise to.
Liverpool
I said three weeks ago that Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool needed a rebuild, a reinvention. I got hammered for that, but it is true. Perhaps Jurgen reads the column!
I have watched their games, and see their midfield. I am a huge fan of Jurgen Klopp, but every team has a cycle. I wonder about the body language and desire.
Klopp’s teams are supposed to play heavy metal football with intensity from back to front, and aggression. Against Napoli they were not right defensively. Even Virgil van Dijk. The positioning, the body language. The recovery runs are lethargic.
I ask: have Liverpool been worked out? That performance at Napoli was the worst half of football under Klopp. The standards they have set are there to see. So is what they have achieved. They are one of the greatest Premier League teams.
Something needs to be done quickly. Klopp is an unbelievable manager and I hugely admire him. But now he needs to call on all his managerial skill. It’s a fascinating test. The title is gone in my opinion already. Will they win the Champions League? Magical Anfield can get them over the line, but it’s tough.
They played in every game they coudl last season, and now look lethargic other than 9-0 against Bournemouth. It’s a worry. When I say worry, the worry for Liverpool is staying in the top four. Man CIty will win it. Look at Arsenal, Chelsea refreshing, Spurs right in the mix, Man United winning their last four. Then you see Liverpool.
I had them down for second in the league. Can we contemplate them really being outside the top four. It’s not a given. I hope they do because I love watching them in the Champions League but it will be tough.
QUEEN….
I was at Manchester United and it was difficult commentating on a game of football when the nation had lost the Queen. A family had lost its mother and grandmother. She had been a constant in all our lives forever. It was a hard choice to do the game, and UEFA made it go ahead.
It was the most surreal and uncomfortable environment I have commented on. The football authorities faced a difficult decision about postponing games.
My gut feeling says continue it. There was a strong argument for having thousands in our great stadia observing a period of silence and wearing armbands. Broadcasting that around the world would be powerful. I would love to see people in stadia paying their respects.
The Queen loved her sport and I wonder if she’d really want it all to stop. Then there is the cost of living argument. Fans have booked trains and hotels and will lose lots of money from games being called off. As a mark or respect I totally understand cancelling the weekend. It is probably the right thing to do.
