Chelsea’s Graham Potter has points to resolve, however can be taught from David Moyes and Brendan Rodgers

Graham Potter will take cost of Chelsea for the primary time in Wednesday’s Champions League Group E conflict towards FC Salzburg at Stamford Bridge, however having taken his first coaching session and delivered his mission assertion to his new squad, the brutal actuality of elite soccer is that almost all of Potter’s gamers can have already shaped an opinion of their new boss earlier than enjoying a sport beneath him.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.)

The 47-year-old, employed as supervisor final week following Thomas Tuchel’s dismissal by new Chelsea proprietor Todd Boehly, is simply as more likely to have made a optimistic impression within the dressing room than a damaging one. In any case, in his earlier jobs at Brighton, Swansea and Swedish membership Ostersunds FK, Potter cast a repute as one of many brightest coaches within the sport — a tactical thinker who builds groups that play thrilling, attacking soccer and carry out past expectations.

However whereas his appointment as Chelsea supervisor is undoubtedly a lift for the repute of English coaches — do not forget, no English supervisor has gained the Premier League, whereas Liverpool‘s Joe Fagan was the final English boss to win the European Cup/Champions League in 1984 — there are additionally a variety of seen purple flags Potter should deal with if he’s to make successful of the job, and it might be naive to recommend that the agency backing of Boehly provides him safety for any storms forward. Simply ask David Moyes how a lot safety his six-year contract at Manchester United supplied when outcomes went towards him and he was sacked inside a yr.

The primary purple flag is raised the second any new supervisor walks via the door and meets his gamers for the primary time. The messaging is essential, and Potter walked right into a dressing room stacked with gamers who’ve gained World Cup, Champions League and Premier League trophies; with out having the ability to match that success himself as both a participant or coach, he’s already coping with a sceptical viewers.

– Chelsea hire Potter from Brighton to replace Tuchel
– Sources: Chelsea want sporting director before World Cup

What he achieved at Brighton — 42 wins from 135 video games and holding them within the Premier League for 4 seasons, with the membership’s highest-ever end of ninth final marketing campaign — will rely for little at Chelsea as a result of he’s coping with gamers who’ve far better expectations these he labored with on the Amex Stadium.

This might sound harsh, however Moyes had the identical drawback when he succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson at Man United, and he immediately raised doubts amongst his new gamers by telling them he would make the group higher by making the squad fitter. Elite gamers all the time wish to enhance and win; Potter’s messaging has to have the ability to persuade the dressing room that he can take the group and gamers to a brand new degree.

The identical applies to his coaches. Moyes stayed loyal to his Everton employees at United, working with coaches who had by no means educated a world-class squad, and so they have been unable to encourage or inspire the gamers at Previous Trafford. Potter has taken 5 members of his Brighton backroom employees to Chelsea together with assistant Billy Reid, the previous Hamilton Academical supervisor, which is a daring transfer contemplating the depth of big-club expertise and expertise in his squad at Chelsea.

play

Steve Nicol explains why he believes Chelsea ought to goal Graham Potter to exchange Thomas Tuchel.

Brendan Rodgers took cost of Liverpool in 2012 with an identical profession trajectory to Potter — his earlier jobs have been at Watford, Studying and Swansea Metropolis — however he was capable of succeed the place Moyes failed at United as a result of he inherited a dressing room that was now not accustomed to profitable. On the time of his arrival, Liverpool had gained only one trophy in six years and the squad was in want of a rebuild. Rodgers didn’t meet the sort of resistance that Moyes met and that Potter may additionally come throughout with gamers who, lower than 18 months in the past, gained the Champions League with Chelsea.

Rodgers was given time to make adjustments to Liverpool’s squad and enjoying type, and he nearly delivered the Premier League title in in 2014. Jurgen Klopp has clearly taken Liverpool to a unique degree since changing Rodgers in 2015, however the Rodgers period was successful in that he put Liverpool heading in the right direction to win once more. He additionally made Liverpool higher regardless of errors made by the membership’s house owners on the time. Fenway Sports activities Teams took possession of Liverpool 18 months earlier than Rodgers arrived and so they have been nonetheless studying on the job, particularly by way of participant recruitment, when the brand new supervisor was appointed.

Potter has an identical drawback to cope with at Chelsea. Boehly has solely been working the membership since Might and the LA Dodgers co-owner oversaw an enormous £271 million summer season spending spree, which introduced in huge names equivalent to Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly, however left the membership with no centre-forward following the departures of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner.

Having spent a lot in a single window, monetary honest play rules will limit Chelsea’s spending in January and subsequent summer season, that means Potter should work with a squad that’s arguably imbalanced and unquestionably under-performing over the months forward. All coaches need gamers who can match their necessities, and plenty of like youthful gamers who usually tend to be receptive to alter and new strategies, however Potter is basically caught with what he has.

Already, with an inexperienced new proprietor and a gaggle of seasoned gamers with profitable careers, Potter has sizeable issues to beat.

Beneath former proprietor Roman Abramovich, Chelsea tended to nominate the very best or largest identify accessible as supervisor. The gamers and followers grew accustomed to the likes of Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Antonio Conte and Tuchel working the group, so hiring the Brighton supervisor — a coach with simply the Swedish Cup on his CV — whose enjoying profession was largely spent in England’s decrease leagues, is a transparent change after all by the brand new house owners.

Potter is, with out query, a proficient coach and rising star in administration, however his new gamers will not give him time to make them higher. They are going to anticipate to be impressed from day one and he’ll meet resistance from those that do not buy into his strategies. It’s the similar for any supervisor at any degree, however at a membership as huge as Chelsea, endurance solely comes with outcomes and Potter cannot waste any time in the case of delivering victories on the pitch.