According to a report by The Athletic, Chelsea players had come up with two nicknames for their former manager, Graham Potter, after being confused by his tactics. The report claims that the beleaguered boss was mocked behind his back by disgruntled stars, who called him “Harry” and “Hogwarts”, after his wizarding namesake.
Potter, who lost more league games as Chelsea boss than he managed to win, was said to have left out Trevoh Chalonah for Saturday’s defeat against Aston Villa, despite having lengthy discussions with the defender about his role in the game. There was also reportedly bemusement around the handling of Hakim Ziyech, who wanted to leave Stamford Bridge in January due to a lack of game time, but was then back in the starting XI after the World Cup.
Despite massive backing from owner Todd Boehly in the January transfer window, Potter was sacked after just seven months in charge of the Blues. The London club spent £330million after the World Cup, giving them a hugely inflated squad. It has even been claimed that the increased squad size forced a number of players to have to change in the corridor as there was not enough space in the dressing room.
Chelsea remain in the bottom half of the Premier League table as they search for a new manager for the remainder of the season. They played out a soulless 0-0 draw with Liverpool on Tuesday night and will face Wolves away on Saturday. Despite their terrible league form, they are still in with a chance of silverware with a Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid on the horizon.
In conclusion, it is clear that Graham Potter’s tenure at Chelsea was not successful, with his tactics confusing some of the players and leading to him being mocked behind his back. The club’s massive spending in the transfer window also did not lead to success on the pitch, and they are now searching for a new manager to turn their fortunes around. Despite their poor league form, they still have a chance at silverware in the Champions League.