Creative design thanks to Canva
After that stumbling defeat against Fulham, an utter disappointment as Chelsea moved into 10th position, 10 points behind 4th placed Manchester United who has still 1 game to play. It is clear that Chelsea is in a difficult position for a Champions League spot and a much more difficult position to win the Premier League. Arsenal is leading as much as 19 points with still a game to play and that's a lot. It is clear to me that their Premier League hopes for Chelsea has come to an end.
What's worse about the news is that they will be missing Joao Felix, their newly recruited Atletico Madrid star who, was performing great in that game until that very poor tackle in the 58th minute. To be honest, that tackle was one of the main reasons why Chelsea lost the game. But, it is clear that the team is still lacking the chemistry Potter needs just like the way he managed Brighton.
That being said, the list of injured players goes on and Graham Potter will have a serious headache in his squad adjustments. These are the updated injured list for Chelsea:
| Edouard Mendy (Goalkeeper) | N'golo Kante (Midfielder) | Reece James (Right-back) |
|---|---|---|
| Wesley Fofana (Midfielder) | Ben Chilwell (Left-back) | Ruben Loftus-Cheek |
| Raheem Sterling | Christian Pulisic | Armando Broja |
| Denis Zakaria | Joao Felix | - |
What's Next
Graham Potter's headache of player shortage continues, as Joao Felix will miss next game, photo courtesy of Skysports
Chelsea is yet to prove their worth again, especially under the management of Graham Potter who is on the verge of being sacked. Chelsea's last performances have been depressing so far but I don't think they're enough reasons for them to let go of Potter.
Remember that Potter took the management after that disappointing loss against Dynamo Zagreb in their Champions League opener, in which they sacked Tuchel at that time. It was questionable because Tuchel has been performing great in Champions League in the past seasons, not domestically though. Under the management of Tuchel, Chelsea won against the Champions League and has been consistently in the top 4 race.
There's a huge pressure in Stamford Bridge tomorrow as they will be facing Crystal Palace, in which they are expected to win despite of the injuries. Graham has to win if he wants his position, just we know that most of his transfer wishes were granted.
Potter Needs Time
I know for a fact that Graham Potter is a coach that has quality. It was proven after Pep Guardiola spoke about him, which he said he just needs time. He needs the players available so he can choose his tactical approach. Chelsea is missing a couple of important players and that made Chelsea's line up very predictable and limits the system he is trying to implement.
I just hope the players are available but I don't think he can make it in time. I still think he has the number of games needed for the Champions League contention + winning the Champions League trophy. He needs more players in his roster and it's sad to know that Potter just got this job so he's still not very connected with some of the players. I hope he can make it in time.
I am honestly a Manchester United bias, but I want to see Premier League get more competition. It's very good to see Tottenham, Newcastle United, Brighton, and Fulham fighting. It increases the competition and interest in the league. They just made the league more competitive and unpredictable, which is an exciting feature to see.
What do you think? Share with us your thoughts and I'd love to hear it from you.
