Graham Potter Thread

[Fernando 6,462]

After watching a couple of video I'm starting to change my mind. lol

Now I'm cautiously optimistic. 

[milka 3,346]

 

[YorkshireBlue 3,122]

Watch his first Chelsea press conference very impressive.

[bluephoenix 1,126]

2 hours ago, YorkshireBlue said:

Watch his first Chelsea press conference very impressive.

Is there a link to it?

[Vesper 28,803]

Carney Chukwuemeka set for Chelsea change as Graham Potter plan revealed

The latest Aston Villa news as former Lion Chukwuemeka completed a move to Stamford Bridge during the summer transfer window.

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/Chelsea-graham-potter-chukwuemeka-villa-25009562

 

Graham Potter’s appointment at Chelsea is part of a ‘long term’ plan for the club, something which could impact former Aston Villa man Carney Chukwuemeka.

The 18-year-old completed a summer move to Stamford Bridge from Villa Park in the summer transfer window. The teenager had just six months remaining on his deal at Villa and was training with the under 21s after refusing to sign a new contract with the club.

His move to Chelsea came out of the blue last month, with Villa accepting an offer of around £20m for the youngster. He signed a six-year deal with the club, then managed by Thomas Tuchel as Chelsea splashed the cash under new owner Todd Bohley.

Despite signing for Tuchel, Chukwuemeka didn’t get the chance to play a competitive game under the guidance of the German. The midfielder was an unused substitute for two Premier League games as well as Tuchel’s final game in charge, a 1-0 Champions League loss vs Dinamo Zagreb.

After showing Tuchel the door, Bohley and the rest of the Chelsea hierarchy moved quickly to bring Brighton and Hove Albion manager Graham Potter to the club. The Englishman has signed a five-year deal at Stamford Bridge.

According to the Guardian this week, the appointment of the head coach is part of a ‘long term’ plan. Chelsea are said to be looking to move away from the culture of quickly sacking a manager, and will stand by the new man, even if the club don’t qualify for the Champions League this season, as long as progress can be seen.

Potter is seen as a builder, having developed Brighton from relegation candidates to an established Premier League side during his time at the club. The head coach worked with a mixture of youngsters and senior pros at the Amex Stadium, helping to develop the likes of Tariq Lamptey, Moises Caiedo and Alexis Mac Allister.

This summer, Potter showed his willingness to work with youngsters with new arrivals including 19-year-old Levi Colwill and 21-year-old Billy Gilmour on loan from Chelsea. 18-year-old striker Julio Enciso also arrived and made his debut in the EFL second round clash vs Forest Green Rovers.

They are all good signs for Chukwuemeka, who will look to impress his new manager in training and possibly matches over the next few months. His first chance will be in the Champions League clash vs Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday night.

There is, however, one concern that the change of manager may bring for Chukwuemeka. According to the Times , Chelsea are again ‘willing to invest heavily’ during the January transfer window. Something that will only increase competition for places.

Potter was known to use the loan market in order to develop players during his time at Brighton. It could be an option the manager turns to if the former Villa man doesn’t catch his eye over the next few months.

[YorkshireBlue 3,122]

5 hours ago, bluephoenix said:

Is there a link to it?

 

[manpe 10,861]

The hype is real over him. Hope he doesn't crumble under pressure, Chelsea is a different monster to anything he has managed so far, it has eaten born winners like Conte and Mourinho alive. Let's see...

Edited September 14, 2022 by manpe

[Tomo 21,733]

7 hours ago, manpe said:

The hype is real over him. Hope he doesn't crumble under pressure, Chelsea is a different monster to anything he has managed so far, it has eaten born winners like Conte and Mourinho alive. Let's see...

Yep that's the main concern for me because pure coaching wise this really should work.

I was a little nervous in his first interview on the app (he gave off the vibe of a kid in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory) but he was a lot better in yesterday's presser so hopefully that was just nerves/told to overdo it.

[ZAPHOD2319 4,477]

1 minute ago, Tomo said:

Yep that's the main concern for me because pure coaching wise this really should work.

I was a little nervous in his first interview on the app (he gave off the vibe of a kid in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory) but he was a lot better in yesterday's presser so hopefully that was just nerves/told to overdo it.

I think saying he is a head coach instead of the manager takes some of the pressure off. Not sure if it is just a title? He very well could be doing many things a manager does.

[Magic Lamps 11,653]

Seriously wtf was that? He was making all the right noises, comes across as likeable character and smart coach but how can you even give him the benefit of the doubt when he lines us up like that. Thought it was pretty much a given Azpi should not play in a back 4 esp not with the similarly immobile Thiago but I guess GP thinks outside the box. Also Mount, Kai are tragically out of form while Jorginho and Auba are just useless  so ofc they will play. 

[DDA 9,690]

13 minutes ago, Magic Lamps said:

Seriously wtf was that? He was making all the right noises, comes across as likeable character and smart coach but how can you even give him the benefit of the doubt when he lines us up like that. Thought it was pretty much a given Azpi should not play in a back 4 esp not with the similarly immobile Thiago but I guess GP thinks outside the box. Also Mount, Kai are tragically out of form while Jorginho and Auba are just useless  so ofc they will play. 

The defensive set up was a head scratcher but let's be real with ourselves here.. it nearly worked. This game was like a pre season game for Potter. He will watch the game back and see Azpi's deficiencies that led to the goal... (not being able to get tight to the free man) and If he doesn't change it for the next game, then yes, we should worry. It's his first game in charge and despite what alot of people are saying, we played better than the last few games under TT. The squad is lacking sevierly in midfield and attack and Potter isn't a a miracle worker. I don't think we will see vast improvements until next season in all honesty.. I feel we will have to be patient and hope for smaller improvements along the way.

[Superblue 6,370]

15 minutes ago, Magic Lamps said:

Seriously wtf was that? He was making all the right noises, comes across as likeable character and smart coach but how can you even give him the benefit of the doubt when he lines us up like that. Thought it was pretty much a given Azpi should not play in a back 4 esp not with the similarly immobile Thiago but I guess GP thinks outside the box. Also Mount, Kai are tragically out of form while Jorginho and Auba are just useless  so ofc they will play. 

Definitely set up and operated in a back 3 with Cucurella on the left, and James and Sterling on the flanks. Sterling operated essentially as a winger instead of a wing back much in the same way he used to utilise Trossard at Brighton. He even discussed the formation after the game and confirmed the plan to play as a 3. 

I think he went with experience of Azpi and Silva and with Cucurella it was using someone he already knew and could trust. Moving forward if we continue in a back 3, Fofana for me is a must in the RCB role to be playing regularly but for tonight's game I can fully understand the defenders he picked.

Tuchel did similar in his first game against Wolves, going with experience and remember that game wasn't great either. I think we need a win or two just to build up a bit of confidence. Not really sure if the international break comes at the right time for us and Potter to step back and plan things out a bit with some time to do so, or if he could have done with a few games in quick succession to try and build some consistency and confidence within the camp.

 

[Magic Lamps 11,653]

Just now, DDA said:

The defensive set up was a head scratcher but let's be real with ourselves here.. it nearly worked. This game was like a pre season game for Potter. He will watch the game back and see Azpi's deficiencies that led to the goal... (not being able to get tight to the free man) and If he doesn't change it for the next game, then yes, we should worry. It's his first game in charge and despite what alot of people are saying, we played better than the last few games under TT. The squad is lacking sevierly in midfield and attack and Potter isn't a a miracle worker. I don't think we will see vast improvements until next season in all honesty.. I feel we will have to be patient and hope for smaller improvements along the way.

It nearly worked bc our opponent was an Austrian clown team missing starters. This defence would get wrecked by the top half of the PL. this preseason game could cost us our place in the r16 of CL missing out, this is not a game to try out a slow, 70 yo cb pairing for whatever insights you may possibly get by  watching players who have been around forever for the umpteenth time. winning vs Salzburg does not require a miracle worker or drastic improvements. All it requires is the kind of performance that should be expected even by this squad. But GP tinkered in a very uninspiring way and it backfired. If he had played the likes of Broja, Gallagher,  halobab etc, fine, ballsy move but at least he builds for the future but today was presumably his idea of playing it safe and that selection was crap. One could argue he has no clue about his new team yet. 

[DDA 9,690]

1 hour ago, Magic Lamps said:

It nearly worked bc our opponent was an Austrian clown team missing starters. This defence would get wrecked by the top half of the PL. this preseason game could cost us our place in the r16 of CL missing out, this is not a game to try out a slow, 70 yo cb pairing for whatever insights you may possibly get by  watching players who have been around forever for the umpteenth time. winning vs Salzburg does not require a miracle worker or drastic improvements. All it requires is the kind of performance that should be expected even by this squad. But GP tinkered in a very uninspiring way and it backfired. If he had played the likes of Broja, Gallagher,  halobab etc, fine, ballsy move but at least he builds for the future but today was presumably his idea of playing it safe and that selection was crap. One could argue he has no clue about his new team yet. 

Like I said, the CB pairing was a little strange but the only logical explanation for it is that Azpi is the captain and he may have felt his experience could be vital along with the fact that KK has been hurrendous and Fofana is new to the team. 

If he had started KK or Fofana and they had a horror show, you and many others would have found a reason to moan.

[Blue Armour 4,280]

For Potter's sake I hope this team gets him a win in the next match.

Else we'll fall into a rut that I think he'll struggle to get us out of.

His decision to go with back 4 was bold, but the choice to go with 2 ageing CBs (even if Silva is the best of all our CBs) was a bit weird

Of course, the downside of a back 4 is that our wingbacks are no longer as aggressive as they used to be. Looking at James here.

And Cucurella needs to be benched. 

[lucio 5,418]

2 hours ago, DDA said:

Like I said, the CB pairing was a little strange but the only logical explanation for it is that Azpi is the captain and he may have felt his experience could be vital along with the fact that KK has been hurrendous and Fofana is new to the team. 

If he had started KK or Fofana and they had a horror show, you and many others would have found a reason to moan.

Experience counts for very little if your legs have gone. He used to be a great defender but his leadership sucks. 

[YorkshireBlue 3,122]

6 hours ago, Magic Lamps said:

It nearly worked bc our opponent was an Austrian clown team missing starters. This defence would get wrecked by the top half of the PL. this preseason game could cost us our place in the r16 of CL missing out, this is not a game to try out a slow, 70 yo cb pairing for whatever insights you may possibly get by  watching players who have been around forever for the umpteenth time. winning vs Salzburg does not require a miracle worker or drastic improvements. All it requires is the kind of performance that should be expected even by this squad. But GP tinkered in a very uninspiring way and it backfired. If he had played the likes of Broja, Gallagher,  halobab etc, fine, ballsy move but at least he builds for the future but today was presumably his idea of playing it safe and that selection was crap. One could argue he has no clue about his new team yet. 

This is a team that held AC Milan to a draw the same AC Milan that just smashed dynamo, you know that team that beat us the other week. I truly believe under TT we lost this game.

[manpe 10,861]

5 hours ago, DDA said:

Like I said, the CB pairing was a little strange but the only logical explanation for it is that Azpi is the captain and he may have felt his experience could be vital along with the fact that KK has been hurrendous and Fofana is new to the team. 

If he had started KK or Fofana and they had a horror show, you and many others would have found a reason to moan.

It's not as if Fofana hasn't played for us already, he's not that new.

80 and 40 million € center-backs sitting on the bench while two over the hill ones play, baffling. I can kinda see what he was trying to do, but it is NOT the way forward, especially in the Prem.