Graham Potter faced the media for the first time since replacing Thomas Tuchel, every word he said about, Boehly, Mendy, Kante, more
Why was this a chance too good to pass up, and what would your philosophy be here?
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!“You have to look at the football club here: the tradition, the quality, the club’s stature, the club’s aim to compete in the Champions League and at the top of the Premier League; it’s a completely different task than the one I’ve had.”
“I had three excellent years at Brighton, an incredible football club, but I am grateful to the ownership here for placing their confidence and belief in me to work with an exciting set of players to be competitive and put a team on the field that our supporters are really proud of.” As you may guess, I’m quite enthusiastic and eager to get started.”
What are your Champions League experiences ahead of your first game in the competition?
“In terms of the Champions League, my experiences have been as a fan.” I’ve played in the Europa League with Ostersund’s. Going to Galatasaray and winning there was a terrific experience. Getting through PAOK as well.
“The Europa League group stage was a terrific experience of European football, but it will be an incredible evening for all of us.”
“We’re all extremely enthusiastic about it, but we’ve been trying to prepare a team, focus on the game, get to know all the players, and get to know everyone at the training ground at the same time.” But there’s no denying we’re quite excited about it.”
Have you ever attended a Champions League match?
“I don’t think I have off the top of my head, no.” So this is a great moment to be in the dugout. So why not? ”
It will be introductory…
“Wherever we start, it’ll be a great initiation.” With regard to everything that has occurred at this club, the expectations of this club, where we are in terms of how we compete and what we want to achieve, wherever we begin will be fantastic, and why not begin here? ”
How have the last nine days gone for you, and how do you want the players and spectators to remember you?
“You said nine days, but it feels more like nine weeks or nine months!” But it’s been fantastic. The beauty of sports and life is that you never know what is going to happen next, and things may happen rapidly.
“I had some really intense conversations with the owners, and I quickly realized that they were good people, intelligent people who had made huge success outside of football and that they want to achieve something here; it’s a really exciting project and ideas for how to take the club forward; it felt really positive.”
“I’m not going to lie, it’s been a whirlwind in terms of meeting people, leaving Brighton, learning about the players, and getting to know them.” But so far, it’s been overwhelmingly favorable. My early impressions have been really positive, and I’m looking forward to getting started.”
Are there any hazards associated with this relocation for you?
“Risks…well, there is a danger if you walk across the road outside the stadium.” That is how life is; no one knows what will happen in the future.
“When I was 30, I left England for a team that had fired the manager every year for the preceding five years; it was the fourth division of Swedish football, and I left a safe position, my wife’s company, for an opportunity.”
“I’ve taken deliberate measures in my career, not simply jumping at the first chance.” I’ve always tried to figure out what was going on and whether it was the perfect moment for me to take on the next task, but I believe that’s just how life is.
“It’s about stepping outside of your comfort zone, accepting responsibility, and thinking there is more to us than what we see here now; I don’t view it as a risk in the bad sense, but everything is a little unknown, and that is the beauty of life.”
How has the squad reacted to you in your first few days in charge?
“As I said, the response has been really positive. They are a really honest group, a really responsible group, and they have been positive around the training ground. They want to achieve, do well, and I am absolutely happy with the team and squad. The group has a lot of quality, and I am looking forward to getting to know them better and better over the next few days and weeks.”
Is it upsetting that you won’t have another game until October following this one?
“No, we know that. There’s nothing we can do about it. It’s part of things beyond our control. It is what it is.” “No, we know that. There’s nothing we can do about it. It’s part of things beyond our control. It is what it is. I’ve always been that type – just worry about the things I can control, which are to prepare the team as best we can and get as much work with the players as we can while we have them.”
Everyone had a huge day last Thursday. Were you experiencing mixed emotions?
“It was one of those days where we’ll look back in 20 years, 30, 40 years and say, ‘Where were you when that happened?’ It’ll be easy for me to answer, that’s for sure. A seismic day on loads of levels because I had the exciting news of being here and everything that went with it, and without sounding silly, I guess I was the main news.”
“Then, tragically, I didn’t make the headlines at all, and the Queen, who has been in all of our lives, died, and it was an extraordinary tale.” Then you start thinking about your own life and recollections. My childhood memories with my mother and father, bless them, are filled with Queen’s Jubilee celebrations or royal family events, such as weddings. So you start thinking about how consistent she’s been in all of our lives, and your thoughts rapidly turn to the family.”
Your role is head coach, but can you see yourself being involved in transfers, hiring a sports director, and obviously bringing Kyle Macauley here?
“I’ve always thought of myself as a head coach. My job is to support the football team, and I’ve always approached it that way. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to establish a football club in Sweden.
“What I took away from it is that the club is always the most important thing; we are just here to serve the club and do our best, and they take the direction, and we try to support as best we can.”
“Kyle is one of my employees; he’s worked with me for 10 years.” He’s really important in terms of recruitment, so a lot of the conversations that I think you need between ownership and the board can be had through him because he knows me well, and he knows how we want to play, he knows the culture, he knows the environment, and those conversations, as you’d imagine, are often time-consuming, so he’s really, really important for me.
“That’s not to say I don’t try to help the club with transfer choices, but my major duty is to help the men who are here, help the players who are here, and help them progress and put a team on the field that our fans are proud of.”
It’s critical to connect with the fans, so what would your mission statement as Chelsea’s head coach be?
“I’ve always stated that the bond between the fans and the squad is the most essential thing.” I’m the head coach, a team member, and an important team member, but no more important than anyone else. I’d want their support, and everything I’ve heard so far leads me to believe I do, and I’m grateful.
“In terms of what I can promise, we’re playing an uncontrollable game, so I promise I’ll give it my all every day; it’s a big responsibility. The team I want to see is one that’s balanced in terms of attack and defense; a humble and respectful team that, when it doesn’t have the ball, runs hard and fights because I think that’s important as well; we want to entertain, but we also want to win.”
“I respect the Premier League, I respect my opponents, and there are a lot of teams that want to do the same thing, but we want to create our own team, our own identity, so it’s recognizable, so the supporters recognize what we want to do, can see what we want to do, and we’ll fight every day for it.”
You obviously have a game tomorrow; what is the most recent team news?
“Eddie [Edou Mendy] and NG [N’Golo Kante] will both miss the game.” Apart from that, everyone is in good shape. Eddie has responded nicely, although his knee has caused him some discomfort. I don’t believe it’ll take long, but we should allow him some space.”
Did you consult with your family when approached by Chelsea’s ownership?
“My immediate family consists of my wife and my children.” Despite the fact that my children are 12 and 7,… so I didn’t bother them too much with it! But, bless her, my wife has been with me every step of the way, so it’s vital for me to have this talk.
“Then it’s about having the conversation with my staff, the owners here, we had to make a decision, it was very intense, a lot of talks, but I had a nice feeling from the owners on a human level. Good people, intelligent people who understand what they want to achieve, they think in the long term and have a plan, so that was exciting.”
“But, as I already stated, it was too large to pass up, and it felt right for me.” I’ll always be grateful to Brighton & Hove Albion, but this is a wonderful football club and an incredible chance for us.”
Would you have taken this approach if it had occurred under the reign of Roman Abramovich?
“I don’t enjoy answering ifs and other such queries.” However, comparing the current and prior owners is unfair to both parties. It was what it was, and Chelsea’s history and prior ownership are amazing, and I appreciate that. I’ve grown up surrounded by success, and it’s been incredible, and our job is to make our own history, our own route, and that’s what we’ll be focusing on.”
Was it your intention when you went to Sweden to return to this level in England, or did it seem too far away?
“I believe I was working in the ninth tier of English football when I departed for Sweden.” Then I moved up to the Swedish fourth division. So, in terms of where I am today, there is the bottom, a bunch of levels, and then there was me.
“So I had no idea I’d be here sitting here in front of you people; I’ve never had that, to be honest.”
Was this, however, always your goal?
“Of course, you want to challenge yourself at the greatest level you can, but I believe ambition is one thing, and responsibility is better in terms of working as hard as you can in your profession, doing the best you can, and taking the steps when the time is appropriate.”
“There was no great scheme. I just focused on giving it my all at every club I’ve visited. I try to accept responsibility, and analyze whatever mistakes I’ve done, and then it’s simply about life. Nobody knows how it will turn out, and that is what makes it so wonderful.”
One of your talents is connecting with players and man-management; how do you handle that in this position at Chelsea?
“It seems funny, but I treat it the same way I do every position at every football club: with the utmost respect for the job and the setting.” I recognize that this is a new atmosphere and context, but as far as I know, we’re still working with people, and it’s all about knowing them, treating them with respect, getting to know them, communicating as clearly as possible, and creating connections. That’s the way it is.
“There are all kinds of myths out there that great players are this, top players are that, but in my experience, individuals are fairly complicated; they have egos, they have various things that test them, and that’s the interesting thing about this job, I think, something I really love.”
Do you consider yourself a trailblazer for young English coaches?
“I basically consider myself as a coach, not necessarily an English coach, is the first thing I’d say, even though I’m really grateful for my family, my background, and everything that has brought me to this place.”
“I’m grateful for the seven years I spent in Sweden as a coach and as a person.” So I’m not sure. I left when I was 30 years old. I’m now 47, and in those 17 years, I’ve educated myself to the best of my ability. I’ve completed the various stages and performed the necessary measures to go forward. That, I believe, is a good thing.
“In coaching, no matter where you’re from, you need to always take responsibility, always believe that you can be more than what you are now, and help the football club that you’re working for as best you can; if that’s helpful to other English coaches, which there are a lot of really, really good English coaches, that’s great, but my responsibility is to my family and me.”
In your opinion, what constitutes a season’s success this year?
“Well, all my thoughts are on tomorrow night, so that’s the first thing! We have to compete here, that’s how it is, and like I said before, I have respect for the Premier League, for the Champions League, for the tournaments we’re in, but we’re Chelsea. There are no guarantees.”
“As we all know, resources alone are insufficient. It’s about connecting with our fans, about them recognizing their club and what we’re trying to achieve, about working every day at Cobham and gaining that knowledge of how we want to play football, but success is seeing improvement and battling to win.”
