Chelsea win three in a row: Are recent wins enough to change Potter’s fate?

Since joining Chelsea on the 8^th of September 2022, Graham Potter has managed the team through 139 games, of which 49 were losses, 50 were draws and only 40 were wins. After 25 games this Premier League season, Chelsea are sitting in 10^th place, with only 34 points, a massive 25 points behind Arsenal, who are currently first. Chelsea has also been knocked out of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, both in the third round. Under the previous manager, Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea won the Champions League and came 3^rd in the Premier League. So, after Potter’s £600 million spending spree for 18 new players, and nothing to show for it, fans are understandably unhappy.

The 1-0 win against Leeds was Chelsea’s first win in their last 6 Premier League games after Fofana scored with a brilliant header from Chilwell’s corner. Whilst Chelsea played well for the majority of the game, often creating good attempts, they failed to follow through and score. The Sterling-Havertz attempt was one such example, in which Sterling recovered the ball from Leeds, moving it up the pitch quickly in a superb offensive, and passing upfront to Havertz who didn’t manage to get it past Meslier, the Leeds goalkeeper. Felix, a loan player this season, was open and in the box, meaning Havertz’s inability to secure a goal was made more frustrating. With only 3 out of 13 shots on target all game, attempts like that should not have been missed.

In terms of Potter’s position at the club, the win against Leeds was important in returning some of the credibility he had lost throughout the current 2022/23 season. The recent 2-0 win at home against Dortmund in the second Round of 16 game in the Champions League saved Chelsea from an early exit after their 1-0 loss away initially. However, the #potterout has been prominent in many Chelsea fans’ socials, and in comments left on the Chelseafc Instagram page. In particular, the 1-0 loss at home to Southampton who were at the bottom of the table put Potter on thin ice, angering both fans and the board, and many fans have lost faith in his ability to lead Chelsea to more wins, and potentially to win the Champions League.

Whilst recent games have seen the Chelsea squad playing better as a team, Potter often makes player choices that do not achieve the results expected of the club. Fans are tired of watching good attempts being thrown away by rash decisions in finishing.  Unless Potter wins the Champions League or brings Chelsea up to 4^th in the Premier League, then it is likely that he will be sacked by the end of the season, as previous managers, such as Mourinho, have experienced before. Potter has the potential to do good things for Chelsea, it’s time for him to start acting on it.