He's got a very good track record turning smaller clubs around, but I am sure I am not the only fan who questions whether he can handle an elite club, and the superstar egos that go with it. Many thought Zidane or Pochettino would be a better fit. So far, watching Palace, he has changed very little, and I question whether he has got the courage to assert his authority on problems and players with huge price tags. Mourinho, Ancelotti and Conte had that courage, but the likes of Moyes at Man Utd clearly didn't. Can anybody see Potter getting angry at half time, and giving huge egos kicks up the backside the way Ferguson would for example? Mount isn't scoring the goals or making the assists that he was doing, but will Potter have the courage to drop him if need be? At the moment, it's still same old, same old, with lots of possession, not enough chances created, dwelling on the ball for too long, and getting hit by fast, precise counters. Will anything change?
He seems like a very likeable guy but I’m not sure he’s the right guy if I’m honest. Will get behind him now he’s here - he deserves a chance now at least - but I’m still baffled why we would let Tuchel go. Feel like we will regret the decision.
2 matches in but we are already noticing a lot more directness in our play which was desperately missing from Tuchel's reign. More bodies in the box as well. Defensively still a shambles.
Approaching two months now, and he has made a very good start. Defensively looking much better, although still problems scoring goals. Pulisic looks a different player, Mount is back to his best and Loftus Cheek is playing the best football of his career. Question marks at the moment over Sterling and Havertz. Broja looks good, and Ronaldo would be a good acquisition even at 37. Still a work in progress but at least a top 4 finish is likely.
Potter comes across as a nice, calm, relaxed individual, but let's be honest, too nice, too passive and not enough fight. Fist instinct when he was appointed was that he would not be able to handle a big club and the egos and price tags that come with it. I hoped I was completely wrong, but think that first instincts as with Lukaku being too slow, etc are usually right. There are far, far too many problems. Some of the most obvious ones are no / little strength in midfield, Havertz wants far too much time on the ball, too many players past their best now, including Jorginho and too many young, inexperienced players coming in. Would anybody have predicted several years ago that Chelsea would be buying Man City's (Sterling) and Arsenal's (Aubameyang) cast offs? Apologies for the negatives, but it's probably the truth. When will a bigger, stronger manager with a no nonsense attitude be appointed?
If Chelsea want to transition into something else (i.e. buying rough gems, looking to integrate youth) then he's a great fit you'd imagine. Problem is since Boehly took over they've actually felt more reminiscent of the initial period under Abramovich. Big signings and a scattergun approach to recruitment.
Potter is probably underachieving so far but let’s not pretend he’s not having the same problems Tuchel and Lampard had too. The squad is really poor and has no quality in depth and we’re suffering as a result. I would have never replaced Tuchel (let alone with Potter) but it still feels unfair to criticise Potter when the team is clearly a mess. James, Chilwell, W. Fofana and Kante can all make a huge impact when they return from injury and then we’ve got Nkunku and Badiashile and possibly Enzo Fernandez to come in too. Things could look very different very quickly regardless of who the manager is.
