The Graham Potter era at Chelsea has hit a new low.
Since the 2-0 win at Aston Villa on October 16, the Blues have been on such a miserable run of form that Potter is under serious pressure just 18 games and four months into his tenure.
Chelsea have lost to Brighton & Hove Albion, Arsenal and Newcastle United, while also drawing against Brentford, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest with Potter in the dugout.
What happened in Man City vs Chelsea?
As such, back-to-back defeats in meetings with Manchester City over the past week have just added more pain and disappointment to Potter’s reign at Stamford Bridge.
First, Chelsea’s miserable Premier League form was extended in front of their own fans as Riyad Mahrez’s lone goal in west London proved to be enough to wrap up a 1-0 win for the champions.
And then, all hopes of Chelsea reaching a fourth consecutive FA Cup final were dashed when they suffered a 4-0 thumping at the hands of the same opponents at the Etihad Stadium.
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Goals from Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden, as well as Mahrez’s brace, ensured that Chelsea’s only hopes of winning silverware this season lay, rather ambitiously, with the Champions League.
After all, it wasn’t just the scoreline that served as an indictment of Potter’s reign, but also the nature of the performance with his injury-ravaged Blues simply looking toothless in Manchester.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JANUARY 08: Graham Potter, Manager of Chelsea, gives the team instructions during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Manchester City and Chelsea at Etihad Stadium on January 08, 2023 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
What did Chelsea fans chant about Tuchel?
The extent to which that is Potter’s fault specifically is for you to decide, but either way, Chelsea are in a real mess right now and you could sense that from the atmosphere in the away end.
In fact, in a rather damning reflection of Potter’s time in west London, the supporters who had made the trip to the Etihad were actually heard chanting the name of his predecessor.
Viral footage shows the Chelsea fans stood in the heavens at City chanting about Thomas Tuchel, who was sacked to make way for Potter back in September.
The Blues can be heard bellowing out one of their old favourites about the German coach: “We’ve got super Tommy Tuchel, He knows exactly what we need, Thiago (Silva) at the back, Timo (Werner) in attack, Chelsea’s gonna win the Champion League.”
Video: Chelsea fans chant about Tuchel in Man City defeatHow did football fans react?
Chelsea fan makes their opinion clear on thee Tuchel chants.© Provided by Give Me Sport
Fans react to the Tuchel chants on Twitter.© Provided by Give Me Sport
A fan wondered how Potter feels about the Tuchel chants.© Provided by Give Me Sport
A fan says the Tuchel chants won’t fix Chelsea’s mess.© Provided by Give Me Sport
Now, is Chelsea fans singing that old anthem inherently some sort of attack on Potter? Absolutely not, but does it sum up the mood at Stamford Bridge right now nonetheless? You bet.
It’s hard to imagine, for example, that Chelsea fans would possibly be singing about the manager who was sacked to bring about the Potter era in a world where the current project was thriving.
And per the Daily Mail, the chants were compounded by ironic shouts of ‘we’ve had a shot’ when Chelsea launched a rare attack in a match where they hit the target just once.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JANUARY 08: Graham Potter, Manager of Chelsea, reacts during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Manchester City and Chelsea at Etihad Stadium on January 08, 2023 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)© Provided by Give Me SportWhat did Potter say about the Tuchel chants?
According to the Mirror, when Potter was asked about the chants, he replied: “We need to stay together as group, support each other, and I’m sure we will get the support of the supporters when we see good performances and results.”
All in all, the atmosphere amongst the away end just served to demonstrate the volatile situation that Chelsea find themselves in right now as the Potter era crumbles before its even started.
It’s in everyone’s interest for Potter to turn things around and prove that the job isn’t too big for him, but when it comes to Chelsea, the ticking clock of pressure is never too far away.
Source: Give Me Sport
