Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella calls for boss Graham Potter to be given time
Speaking to the Sun (h/t Daily Mail), Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella has urged people to give manager Graham Potter time for the right results to come.
Potter arrived on September 8, a day after Thomas Tuchel was sacked following the defeat to Dinamo Zagreb on the opening night of the Champions League.
Since then, till the World Cup break, the new manager hardly had even a full week of training with the squad. There was an international break in between, but managers of big clubs generally do not have any players left during that time.
Talking about the boss being given time for the right results to come, here’s Cucurella (h/t Daily Mail):
“This is maybe another season. It is really good for us, the last games before the break we didn’t play too good or get results but this is a new season.
“All of it is a process. The first season with Graham in Brighton the results were not good, they stayed down in the table.
They continued with the same ideas, working, working and working. Then, last season and this season they played really good with the same ideas.
“We need to work and understand his ideas and the results will arrive.”
As much as having the World Cup in the middle of the season is not the preferred way forward, it might be a blessing in disguise for Potter and his coaching staff.
This is the first time since getting appointed that the manager has had an extended time on the training pitch with the players. Although some went to Qatar to represent their nation, it is still a good chunk of players who were fresh and raring to go when the mid-season training camp in Abu Dhabi started.
Even the World Cup-bound players, who got knocked out in the group and last-16 stage, wouldn’t be far from returning. And Chelsea do not play their first competitive game back until December 27.
We all know the results at the back end of the first half of this season weren’t good. But, Potter cannot be blamed for all of that. He did not have the pre-season with the players. This World Cup break has given him a chance to do some of that.
More Chelsea News:
- William Gallas urges Chelsea to sign Cristiano Ronaldo
- Chelsea considering Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic as an attacking reinforcement
- Chelsea sent scouts to watch Argentine fullback Nahuel Molina
Hence, the results in the second half of this campaign can be judged with a microscope. The first game to start it all off again is against Bournemouth in the league at Stamford Bridge. Starting with a win would boost confidence.