Graham Potter has rubbished suggestions that he does get ‘angry’ enough, while also discussing the ‘challenges’ his team face as they continue their development
The Chelsea boss has always come across as a placid and well-balanced character, refusing to get carried away on the touchline or get overly critical in his interviews.
Even in the face of being denied what many believed to be a clear penalty against West Ham as his side dropped points at the weekend, the 47-year-old was fairly measured in his assessment of the incident: “It looks it, but these are the little things you need to go in your favour and at the moment they are not, so that’s life. There is nothing to complain about,” he told BT Sport after the game.
Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund, Potter was asked about suggestions that he does get angry enough, saying that he has ‘a responsibility to act in a certain way’.
“I’m careful not to get into discussion through the media,” he said at his pre-match press conference. “Of course I get angry, I’m a human being, it’s just that I choose to conduct myself in the way I believe I should.
“The same media are talking about me being more angry and then running stories about referees at grassroots level. It’s an emotional thing but I have a responsibility to Chelsea, the game, and myself to act in a certain way for me.
“If you think you can start a coaching career in the ninth tier of English football and get to this point now, with Chelsea and the Champions League, without being angry or getting nice, I would suggest you don’t know anything about anything.”
In the wake of that 1-1 draw with West Ham, January signing Mykhailo Mudryk was seen to have liked a social media post criticising Marc Cucurella’s passing, before it was eventually unliked.
Potter said there was ‘no problem’ with pair, before saying that it is a ‘challenge of understanding’ between teammates who are getting to know each other and the system.
“There’s no problem in terms of anything sinister. If anything, it’s teammates understanding each other. It’s quite a common problem I’d say. When to pass? What point? What time?
“Playing against a back five, West Ham made it difficult to access the wideman’s feet or when to make the runs. Misha, that is his third game. So there’s no problem, it’s just a challenge of understanding.”
Chelsea added seven new faces to their already bloated squad in the January window, and when asked if his side need to be more patient, Potter said: “It’s a squad [that] we’re really excited about but at the same time, we know they’re are challenges and things we have to do,” he said.
“We’re all starting to work together so we have to take some time, understand each other, what makes us tick. That’s the impression I get.
“There is a good spirit, good harmony, they are pushing each other in a good way. So while there are challenges there are things to be happy about as well.”
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