Chelsea’s pursuit causes outrage as Graham Potter explodes with anger over Thomas Tuchel chants.
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Chelsea’s hopes of success in the FA Cup were dashed on Sunday evening as they were heavily defeated 4-0 by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
The result was a disappointment for Graham Potter’s side, who struggled to compete against a dominant Manchester City midfield trio of Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Rodri.
Chelsea’s midfield hunt goes on
Graham Potter started with a midfield three at the Etihad Stadium, with Conor Gallagher, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic all being chosen in Manchester. However, rather unsurprisingly against a trio of Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Rodri, they were dominated throughout the game.
Only when Denis Zakaria came on for the second-half did Chelsea look even half-competent in the middle of the pitch.
Chelsea have been searching for a top-class central midfielder and were reportedly close to signing Enzo Fernandez from Benfica, but the deal has reportedly reached a standstill as the London club are unwilling to pay the required fee in one instalment.
Chelsea’s recent form and the pressure on Potter were the main topics of discussion after the match, with the Chelsea manager responding professionally to questions about the away end’s chants regarding former head coach Thomas Tuchel and ex-owner Roman Abramovich.
“We understand the supporters’ frustration, that is understandable and we’ll respect that. Our job is to do our jobs, to keep working, see the situation for what it is, and of course there are always other opinions, negativity and criticism because the results haven’t been positive. That’s part of the job and the challenge,” said Potter.
In addition to the defeat, there are also concerns about the form of defender Kalidou Koulibaly, who has struggled since returning from the World Cup in Qatar. While Koulibaly was not the sole cause of Chelsea’s problems, some have suggested that a rest may be beneficial for both the player and the team. Potter may therefore consider taking Koulibaly out of the side for the upcoming match against Fulham on Thursday night.
Sunday evening at the Etihad Stadium wasn’t really the time to take him out of the team because of the situation at the back. Thiago Silva, 38, needed a rest more than the younger Koulibaly and it would’ve been unfair to throw new signing Benoit Badiashile in against City with just a couple of training sessions to his name at Cobham.
