The reaction to the reaction
Chelsea should have been awarded a penalty in the final minutes of the game at the London Stadium. There is little doubt of that. Conor Gallagher's goalbound effort struck the arm of West Ham United midfielder Tomas Soucek, who had thrown himself to the ground to make a block.
That it wasn't spotted live by referee Craig Pawson was perhaps no surprise. That the decision wasn't overturned by VAR – or that Pawson wasn't sent to the monitor to review the call – certainly was. And it meant the game ended in a frustrating 1-1 draw for Chelsea.
Potter was largely measured after the game, although there was a hint of passive-aggressiveness in his response when asked about the decision not to award his side a spot-kick. "It looked like a handball to me," he said in his post-match press conference. "I didn't know Tomas could get down that easily and make a save like that. It's a good stop from him, but it's not for me to say about VAR."
READ MORE: Every word Graham Potter said on VAR, Tomas Soucek, Chelsea adjustments, Reece James, Joao Felix
Many within the Chelsea fanbase wanted more from Potter, they wanted him to come out swinging. In that respect, he is haunted by the ghosts of Chelsea head coaches past. Jose Mourinho would have almost certainly gone stronger. Antonio Conte too. Thomas Tuchel was also partial to criticising officials in press conferences when he felt the occasion called for it.
That isn't Potter's style. Win, lose, or draw he keeps his emotions in check. It is not to everyone's liking and perhaps not what is now expected of a top coach. In the modern-day game, there is a performance element required for coaching at a club like Chelsea. Public-facing reactions do matter.
Potter may appreciate that in time. He may not. One day it may not even matter; results on the pitch tend to trump off-pitch issues. But throughout his tenure at Stamford Bridge, Potter has stayed true to himself and not tried to be somebody he is not. And that deserves respect, no matter the concerns about Chelsea's form and performances.
Cucurella's difficult spell continues
A perception has taken hold among many Chelsea supporters that Marc Cucurella is a poor player. That is simply not the case. After all, this is a full-back who last term was named Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season at Brighton, who finished the 2021/22 campaign with a record points haul in the Premier League.
Cucurella's performances for the Seagulls – then managed by Potter – saw him linked with a move to Manchester City in the summer transfer window. Ultimately, the Premier League champions didn't want to meet Brighton's asking price but a few weeks later, Chelsea paid up.
The Spain international – again, a fair indication of his quality – arrived for a fee of £62.5million. It was excessive but partly influenced by the Blues opting to only send Levi Colwill on loan to the Amex Stadium rather than sell the highly-rated academy graduate permanently.
Cucurella started well with an impressive debut from the bench against Everton and a strong start against Tottenham Hotspur. His form has slowly declined since and it is undeniable that he is struggling for confidence and form at this moment in time. Being jeered off the field by the travelling support at the London Stadium will have done little to help matters.
"Supporters are entitled to their opinion, of course, and they just want the team to do well," said Potter. "As I said in the pre-match press conference, I don't think Marc is in his best moment. But at the same time, he's been part of a team that has kept a clean sheet at Anfield, a clean sheet against Fulham.
"In the summer – and I know because I was at the selling club – there was another Premier League club interested in signing Marc, and they're a good football club.
"Marc hasn't become a bad player at all but players sometimes can go through bad times and we need to stick together and try to help him. At the same time, supporters are entitled to their opinion and there's nothing for me to be critical of. That's just what we have to work with."
Potter has previously hinted that Cucurella is dealing with off-field issues – the details of which nobody has a right to know – and if they are impacting his performances, then so be it. The positive is that Ben Chilwell is inching his way back to full fitness and will be in contention to start against Borussia Dortmund in midweek.
Felix takes control
Given the loan fee Chelsea committed to borrow Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid – around £10million – it was always expected the Portuguese forward would come back into the starting XI against West Ham.
Felix had missed the previous three matches due to the red card received against Fulham but he instantly took control of Chelsea's attack. The 23-year-old, played in a free role off Kai Havertz, was constantly able to find space in the opening 30 minutes of the game and wasn't afraid to direct his new teammates.
There was a shout at Cucurella to push wide when Chelsea were in possession; a quick exchange with Reece James as the Blues were building pressure; a word with Enzo Fernandez as to where the ball needed to go. It paid dividends too, as it was Felix and the Argentine midfielder who combined for the opening goal.
Fernandez was given time on the edge of the penalty box. That was a mistake – as other Premier League defences will soon learn. He clipped a perfectly-weighted ball over the West Ham defence and Felix was on hand to guide a volley beyond goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.
Unfortunately, Felix's influence waned in the second period as West Ham tightened up their midfield. That impacted the entire Chelsea display and Potter's side were nowhere near as fluid in their movement in possession. Yet the signs were positive that with more freedom than he ever enjoyed at Atletico under Diego Simeone, Felix can have a big influence in the weeks ahead.
"After the one-month stop, it was difficult for me," Felix told Chelsea's in-house media after the draw. "I just wanted to play. Today was the today and to score my first goal with this club is huge happiness. Now we focus on the next game, which is always the most important. The Champions League is a competition we want to win and it starts on Wednesday."
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