Former Premier League footballer John Barnes believes that Chelsea should give more time to Graham Potter after calls for him to be sacked increased over the weekend. Many Blues fans were hoping their run of three consecutive Premier League draws would end with a win as the Blues took on bottom club and managerless Southampton, but those stalemates were instead replaced with a defeat.
James Ward-Prowse's free-kick extended Chelsea's winless run to five games just a few days after their Champions League loss to Borussia Dortmund, with pressure subsequently piling on Potter. "After a 1-0 defeat at home, any criticism you get is understandable," he told reporters after the game. "I’m sure there will be people out there that think I’m the problem, absolutely. I don’t think they’re right but I’m not arrogant enough to say their opinion isn’t worth articulating.
"My job is to help the team, keep working through a team period, we’ve had to make some changes today and the truth is we took a step back in our performance in the first half. The response in the second half was good, but it wasn’t good enough."
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The task does not get any easier for Potter and Chelsea as they prepare for a crucial London derby against Tottenham. With the game scheduled to take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the Blues squad were given another day away from the Cobham training pitches.
Earlier in the season the two rivals contested a Stamford Bridge classic, not quite on the level of their clash in May 2016, dubbed the 'Battle of the Bridge', but certainly not far off.
Five months on from that clash, neither Antonio Conte or Thomas Tuchel, the two men at the heart of the major brawl that took place at full time, will be in attendance. Tuchel was dismissed from his role at Chelsea the following month, while Conte remained in Italy, after Tottenham travelled there for the fixture against AC Milan, to continue his recovery after undergoing surgery to remove his gallbladder.
Avoiding defeat for Potter will be huge if he wishes to remain in the job for Chelsea's second leg in Europe against Dortmund, who look to be without first leg goal scorer Karim Adeyemi. Home league games against Everton and Leeds also arrive in March with a trip to King Power Stadium to face Leicester in the middle.
£323million was spent by Chelsea in January, following up a significant spree of new signings joining in the summer, but those that have recently arrived through the door are yet to have a lasting impact. Todd Boehly made a decisive decision to get rid of Tuchel after a poor run of results and despite specifically recruiting Potter to oversee the rebuild at Chelsea, he could do the same to Potter, although John Barnes believes the former Brighton boss deserves more time in west London.
"It’s difficult for Graham Potter because when you make that many signings they need time to gel," Barnes told BonusCodeBets. "Potter has a comprehensive way of playing and getting that across to players will take time. The team isn’t settled yet so his methods haven’t fully been embedded.
"Against Dortmund for example they created chances but just couldn’t score. Same thing in the Southampton game. If they keep creating chances they will eventually start scoring.
"Yes his time has been disappointing in terms of results but I think the performances have been good and he just needs time and the club's backing."
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