Questions have been asked over Graham Potter in recent weeks, with the Chelsea manager struggling to pick up wins this season.
Since Thomas Tuchel 's sacking in September, Potter has overseen 26 games as Chelsea 's manager. In that time, the Blues have won nine, with seven of those coming before the 2022 World Cup. Since football returned to normality after the World Cup, Chelsea have been in a rut, winning just two out of 13 games in all competitions.
The Blues currently sit 10th in the Premier League, are out of both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup after third-round exits and are currently 1-0 down on aggregate in their Champions League Round of 16 against Borussia Dortmund. After a huge spending spree in January that saw eight players sign, Chelsea fans have been left extremely underwhelmed with recent results.
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So, how could Potter perform with his new-look squad during the rest of the season? Can the 47-year-old get Chelsea back to their best? We simulated the rest of the season to find out.
Remainder of Chelsea's 2022/23 season simulated with Graham Potter
To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2023 to simulate the rest of Chelsea's 2022/23 season from Friday, February 24, 2023. We also used the FM23 editor to make sure Potter wouldn't be sacked to see how he could perform during the remainder of the season.
With 15 Premier League games to go, Chelsea would need to close down the gap of 11 points between themselves and fourth whilst hoping other teams will drop points to claim a Champions League spot. But, the Blues were unable to find consistency, and they ended the season in ninth place.
A poor finish for Potter's side, with Chelsea winning seven, losing six and drawing two of their remaining games as they only overtook Brentford. Ending the season with 54 points, the Blues remained 11 points behind Newcastle in fourth and finished six behind Liverpool in seventh who claimed the Europa Conference League spot.
A strong spell in March saw Chelsea win four games on the bounce, with Potter winning Premier League manager of the month after a drastic turnaround. But, the Blues had a poor end to the season, winning just one of their last seven to drop back down the table.
A 3-0 win over Borussia Dortmund saw Chelsea advance to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, and Potter's men were drawn against defending champions, Real Madrid. After a 4-1 loss in Madrid, the Blues lost 1-0 at Stamford Bridge as they were eliminated from the competition.
Overall, FM23 predicts that Chelsea could fail to get back to top speed under Potter, with the Blues failing to claim a spot in Europe for next season and suffering an early Champions League exit. If Potter was to last until the end of the season with results like this, it could potentially be the end of the line for the Englishman.
Do you think Potter is the right manager for Chelsea? Let us know in the comments!
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