Chelsea hold ’emergency crisis talks’ with Graham Potter over strategy to address dismal form ahead of Spurs clash

After offering their full support to Graham Potter, Chelsea have held an emergency meeting with the head coach and his staff ahead of their Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur.

Potter is under increasing pressure after Chelsea suffered another defeat last weekend against bottom-of-the-table Southampton, which saw the Stamford Bridge crowd boo the team off following the 1-0 loss in the capital.

Despite fans’ frustrations getting louder and many wanting the 47-year-old sacked, Potter has, once again, received the support from co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali to turn their fortunes around, with the squad still also behind the head coach.

Chelsea have won just two of their last 14 matches in the league and head to north London on Sunday to face fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur, a side they rarely lose to regardless of what form they are in.

READ MORE: Five reasons why Chelsea are still backing Graham Potter despite increasing pressure

Sunday is crucial and defeat could make Potter’s position untenable in the eyes of the supporters, if it isn’t already.

Potter gave his squad two days off – Sunday and Monday – before they returned to their Cobham training ground on Tuesday.

But it has now been revealed by Nizaar Kinsella of the Evening Standard that an ’emergency meeting’ was held with Potter and his staff, led by technical director Christopher Vivell on Tuesday following their returns.

New sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart were also in attendance for the ‘strategy meeting’ at Cobham, with crisis talks held to address how their season is unravelling. Chelsea are currently in 10th place in the Premier League.

Boehly and Eghbali weren’t present in the meeting, with Potter and his staff ‘determined to turn things around’, in which it was discussed how the club can move forward and overcome their struggles in recent months.

Potter will be in charge of Chelsea against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday and accepts that he and his side deserve every bit of criticism following the unacceptable recent form.

Post-match on Saturday against Southampton, the Chelsea head coach admitted: “After a 1-0 defeat at home, any criticism you get is understandable. I think we’ve had a tough period and I think we’ve had lots of challenges in terms of integrating young players into the Premier League. While results don’t go your way it can be tough, that is how it is.

“I’m sure there will be people out there that think I’m the problem, absolutely. I don’t think they’re right but I’m not arrogant enough to say their opinion isn’t worth articulating. My job is to help the team, keep working through a team period, we’ve had to make some changes today and the truth is we took a step back in our performance in the first half. The response in the second half was good, but it wasn’t good enough.”