Premier League: Declan Rice, Guardiola’s most expensive setback
Chelsea is on a very slippery slope, as Graham Potter is still not getting it done. And while speculation is rife about his future, the English technician has just registered a new recruit, a player on whom he spoke this Wednesday, January 11, 2023 on the eve of the Premier League match against Fulham. And according to him, the sensations are good because the Portuguese has already trained with the group for the first time and is fit to resume competition.
Injured: “Pierre Emerick (Aubameyang) is fine and will be in the group. We think Christian (Pulisic) will be out for a few months. Raheem (Sterling) is less, I hope less than that. Ruben (Loftus-Cheek) and Ben Chilwell are getting closer and closer. Reece (James) was on the field today, he did not train with the team, but on his own. N’Golo (Kanté) is training on his own, but he still has a long way to go.”
On his role as Chelsea manager: “You always feel pressure. The higher you go, the more pressure/noise there is outside. At a club like Chelsea, when you don’t get the results you want, there is noise and criticism. You have to keep trying to improve, stay strong and move forward. You have to understand that this is part of the job. You have to look at my colleagues in a similar position: Pep (Guardiola) Mikel (Arteta) or Jürgen Klopp were criticized in their first seasons. Soccer is emotional and when you lose, you don’t think about it, you feel it. Sometimes it is difficult to understand why and it is easier to blame someone. I’m not saying it was perfect, but it’s still very complex. You try to put it into perspective and remember that I am capable. The results weren’t good enough for us and we have to respect that and take that into account.”
On the team’s situation: “If you look at what we have right now, and where we are with the players we have out, it can distort the picture a little bit. If we get them back, the picture changes. I don’t think we’re as far off as it looks from the outside. We need to go window by window to improve the team, develop the culture and the idea of soccer. Even if these times are not pleasant, we have to use them to strengthen ourselves. But at the moment, they are not pleasant. We still have a lot of points to play for, but I would be wasting my time if I focused on the next day’s training and the next game. We can improve a lot and be much more positive quickly with results, players and performances. The picture can change quickly.”
João Félix: “He is a quality player who can make the difference in the last third of the field. He is young, but has good experience. He is a quality player who encourages everyone. It was good to have him at practice today and we’ll see if he plays on Thursday. What I think is that we need to fix the team and it’s not one person solving the problems. We have to fix the team, attack better, create more chances. Then, whoever plays will be able to score and we can win. (João Félix) has trained and played, so from a physical point of view, he can enter the game. Going from one country to another is always an unknown, but the time it takes depends on each player. I see a player who is confident and able to step up in the game. He can take the ball, take it into tight spaces, make passes. He’s a good signing and I look forward to working with him.”
