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Chelsea told who to appoint if they decide to sack Graham Potter after passing ‘make or break’ test

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(Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)

Graham Potter’s job at Chelsea is safe for now after he passed his ‘make or break’ week in charge with two vital wins over Leeds United and Borussia Dortmund.

The 47-year-old’s job at Chelsea was on the line if he failed to beat both Leeds and Dortmund, but the Blues secured 1-0 and 2-0 wins which saw them progress into the Champions League quarter-finals.

“I don’t really think about it in that way,” responded Potter after their win over Dortmund, when asked about whether the Round of 16 clash felt like a mark or break match.

“There are always going to be those types of questions and noise. My job is to help the team, help the players, prepare the team as well as we could and to support them. They’ve been suffering as well. Nobody has enjoyed the run we’ve had. That’s why today was important for us. We wanted to progress, and we have, so we’re happy.”

It was a difficult run for Chelsea, who hadn’t won in six matches before Leeds, and the pressure was mounting. But the players and hierarchy stuck together and kept faith in Potter to lead the team forward.

Potter is likely to now see the season out after overcoming the pressure and noises. Former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson believes the club needed patience with the ‘risky appointment’, which they have ended up showing on many occasions.

“With it being a big question mark and a risk to begin with, I’ve not paid it any attention because I never expected him to walk through the door and get results straight away,” Johnson told Betfred.

“He’s a footballing man and he was always going to need time. I believe the owner’s should know that. Nobody should have been expecting them to challenge this season since Graham took over, so I’ve not even thought about the possibility of him being sacked or whatever.

“The owner’s must have known it was a risky appointment, so they must have had the next three years in mind because otherwise they would have gone for an impact manager, who can come in like a grenade and get the players playing well straight away but would be unlikely to be around in three years time.

“I think Chelsea have played well in a few of the games that they got poor results in, but you can understand the frustrations that people close to Chelsea will be having. I believe everyone should know that this is a three, four year project and despite how hard it is to do so, everybody needs to be patient.”

Potter is set to have his first pre-season this summer to work with his bloated Chelsea squad, which will be trimmed in an expected summer squad overhaul, as they head to the United States for pre-season.

But if Chelsea decide to part company with Potter, Johnson has revealed his first choice for the Blues over who they should appoint to succeed him.

“It’s hard to talk about manager’s coming in when Graham’s still in the job, but to answer the question, then I believe somebody like Mauricio Pochettino would be a good appointment. I know that the guys who’ve worked with him have all loved him, he was a top player himself and the fact that he’s been a manager in the Premier League is key.”


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