Graham Potter has been backed to get the best out of Chelsea‘s attacking players and bring the squad together in a way that former manager Thomas Tuchel could not.
The 47-year-old recently left Brighton to take charge of Chelsea, in what will undoubtedly be a big challenge for him compared to what he’s faced in his career so far.
Still, former Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick is a big fan of Potter, and believes he could make more of the talented crop of attacking players that have struggled at Chelsea in recent times.
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside, Chadwick named Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz as players who struggled to fulfil their potential under Tuchel, while he also suggested the German tactician might not have been as good at forming good connections and keeping his squad happy.
“Looking at the journey he’s been on, you can see he’s a really intelligent man, he can get the best out of his players, both on the pitch and as people. He builds a positive attitude of everyone working together and pulling together,” Chadwick said.
“I can imagine he’ll be a success at Chelsea, but the timing of it is still a bit of a shock after how much backing Tuchel had been given. Hopefully it wasn’t just a knee-jerk reaction from the owner to that defeat against Dinamo Zagreb.
“Going by reports in the press, it sounds like Tuchel didn’t have the best relationship with some players, and I think that’s where Potter is maybe a bit different – he puts a lot of emphasis on a good relationship with the players, and with them having a good relationship with each other.
“Potter’s teams play a lot of exciting, possession-based football, they get players in attacking positions and try to create chances.
“I’m sure Potter will be looking at gifted players like Pulisic, Ziyech, Havertz … they’re some of the best attacking players in the Premier League but haven’t fulfilled their potential. So I’m sure Potter will try to find the best system to get more out of those attacking players and get the team playing a bit more of a stylish, expansive brand of football, like we saw at Brighton.”
Chelsea fans will certainly hope Potter can make it work, even if this was a bit of a surprise move by the club’s new owner Todd Boehly.
Boehly has also made headlines for proposing a North vs South All-Stars game in the Premier League, and Chadwick admits he can’t see such a thing working in English football.
In general, though, Chadwick said only time will tell in terms of seeing how Boehly’s ownership compares to the success of the Roman Abramovich era, with the American looking very different in his approach compared to how the previous owner did things.
“He’s obviously a hugely wealthy man, who’s bought Chelsea and wants to get the most out of it. It seems like he wants publicity from the way he’s gone about things, whether that’s a good or a bad thing, only time will tell,” Chadwick said.
“It’s the polar opposite from Roman Abramovich really, he says a lot to the press, wants to be really involved. Obviously he’s sacked Tuchel pretty early, and he’ll have known about the reaction that would bring, but he seems to thrive off that.
“He’s probably not going to change, he’s obviously got to where he is in life through being like that. He’s a hugely successful man.
“Still, I can’t imagine the North vs South All Stars game happening – I can’t see how it would fit in in English football, seeing United and City and Liverpool players playing together. I don’t know what the FA and England would think about that, it seems like a long shot and it’s not something I’d imagine we’ll be seeing in the near future.”