“Bit dramatic”- Graham Potter responds to being asked importance of top-four finish for Chelsea

Chelsea manager Graham Potter on changes at the club and importance of a top-four finish

Speaking to the media ahead of the game against Crystal Palace (h/t Football.London), Chelsea manager Graham Potter addresses whether extensive changes at the club are a good thing and how important finishing in the top-four is.

The former Swansea City boss, who has been at the club for more than a fortnight now, talked about dealing with the situation rather than thinking about whether wholesale changes are a good or bad thing. He labelled this as part of life and a challenge for him that is not short-term.

Talking about a top-four finish, the Englishman played down the wording of the question as it sounded a bit dramatic to him. Furthermore, he is focused on the next game (which is against Palace) and the next training session coming up.

Here are the quotes of what Potter said exactly (h/t Football.London):

“The first thing to say is change is good, bad and challenging, it’s how you deal with it and work for it. It’s well documented what has happened. It’s part of life sometimes.

A bit more than a short term challenge. The resources, or history doesn’t guarantee you anything in this league. It’s about getting everything lined up and everyone working together and the strategy clear.

Vital sounds a bit life or death and a bit dramatic. I can’t control people’s perception or what we’re looking at in May, I only focus on the next game or next session.”

The question about changes was justified with the club going through changes not just at the managerial level, but also at the backroom level with people going out and replacements being searched. The most prominent one is the search for a sporting director, which has been going on since the summer.

However, with only six games in the Premier League, none of it played under Potter, it was a bit too early to ask about the importance of finishing in the top four.

The question regarding a top-four finish generally becomes relevant in the second half of the season, when the table starts to take shape. With plenty of games coming up in October and early November, expect the table to change hands at many levels.

With how much Chelsea have spent in the summer window, it does become prevalent that they are at least challenging for a top-four finish. Pretty sure Potter knows about that even before he signed a contract with the Blues.

More Chelsea News:

• Chelsea striker Armando Broja wants to mould his game around Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane
• Robert Huth believes appointing Graham potter could cost Chelsea a top-four finish
• Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic would accept a move to AC Milan in January

Irrespective of that, there has to be an acceptance that the club is undergoing a transition phase. The change in ownership in May means things in the background have drastically changed from what it was a few months back. So, everything coming back to normal will take some time.