Graham Potter’s reign as Chelsea manager feels like it’s hanging by a threat.
In fact, it feels like that thread should have been cut after yesterday’s loss to Southampton. The coach is still clinging on however, and now that the dust has settled on his latest embarrassing loss, it seems he’s going to get another chance – or maybe more.
Either way, next month’s home game against Dortmund in the Champions League is going to be critical. If he turns that around, he will get a huge boost to his credibility, and keeping the European dream alive – even if we end up dumped out by the first big team we face – might be his best platform for a stay of execution, or even to lay the foundations of a longer term project.
Fans – whether pro or anti Potter – will be glued to that game either way. Some will be watching on TV, and others will use ExpressVPN to stream the Champions League, but whatever their viewing method the result will be all they’re looking for.
We were desperately unlucky in Germany, and if Potter is sacked he may one day look back on the way that his team created so much without scoring as the moment the jig was up.
But it looks like he will at least have the chance to regress to the mean in the second leg. The furious home fans booed him and his team off yesterday, but the atmosphere will be electric at the Bridge for that evening game no matter what happens in the games between now and then.
At the very least, the stadium will roar for their team from the start – how long the backing lasts will of course depend on events on the pitch.
The most impressive results in the former Brighton coach’s first few months in the job were against AC Milan in the group stage, and it was the wins in those games that got us this far.
Potter has games against Tottenham and Leeds to come before we face Dortmund, two matches with derby energy that could decide everything.
Win both and suddenly our pride and form is restored, and we come into that game on a positive wave, ready to right the wrongs of the first leg.
Lose both and the opposite is true – we will be plumbing yet more new depths of despair, and at that point even the backing of the board which has been so generous up to this point might start to evaporate.
