Potter laughs off Chelsea sack talk with 'crisis meeting' joke

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 24 Feb 2023 14:19 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea manager Graham Potter has laughed off claims that he finds himself under pressure at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have experienced a frustrating run of form under the former Brighton manager, with the club 10th in the Premier League.

This has led to claims that Potter is under pressure with the Blues.

Ahead of Sunday's derby with Tottenham, he was in relaxed mood at the pre-match press conference on Friday and even joked about the position that he finds himself in as he turned up behind schedule for the briefing.

"Sorry I'm late guys, just came out of a crisis meeting," he told the press in a relaxed fashion.

The quip would certainly raise the eyebrows of those who have claimed Potter has lacked any sort of fury over the string of poor results.

Nevertheless, after the former Brighton boss then spoke about the poor form of the side in recent weeks.

"Yes, I've spoken to them [owners]. Same as it's always been. I've been under pressure here for four months. That continues. They've been great. They see where we're at, but also frustrated. We have to do better."

"Supporters, rightly so, are upset because we lose at home to Southampton. Supporters care, when they are upset they make their frustrations known."

"When you lose to bottom of the league and you're Chelsea, it's completely okay [to be criticised]. Results haven't been good enough, 1-0 defeat to Southampton isn't good enough, you are entitled to be angry."

"The response has been really good. We've had conversations and talks, to put things into perspective as well," he said. It's been a tough week. Results haven't been good enough, it's important to acknowledge that."

A subtle dig at Tuchel?

Potter then spoke about the lead-up to the season and poor the training was in the build-up over the summer.

"Speaking to a few of the experienced guys, they said it was the worst pre-season they've had. I don't want to speak about that [the reasons]. The tour didn't work as well as it would like."