Roberto De Zerbi
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Roberto De Zerbi sad to see Chelsea sack ex Brighton manager Graham Potter #CHESLEAFC

April 4, 2023
The head coach’s predecessor at Albion was sacked on Sunday following seven wins from 22 Premier League games. His dismissal came hours after Brendan Rodgers left Leicester and has been celebrated by many Albion fans unhappy woth aspects of his departure from their club. But De Zerbi was less happy to see the news. The Seagulls boss said: “I’m really sorry. It’s bad news for the coaches because I think you give too much importance to the coaches because the players are always most important. “I don’t like when the coaches are sacked because the responsibility is not only of the coaches – (it is also) the players, the club. “In Italy we are used to changing a lot of coaches every season. In the Premier League it’s different but I think it’s changing also in the Premier League. “I think the coaches are not so important like the people think – when you win and when you lose. “The coaches can give the players mentality, ideas, a style of play, but if you speak about results you can achieve the results with the quality of the players and not only the quality of the coaches.” Under Potter, Albion finished ninth in the Premier League on the 19th biggest budget. De Zerbi did not want to comment specifically on events at Chelsea but he said: “I think I am lucky to have these players and I have to say thanks to Graham Potter because I found a team with a very good mentality, very good attitude.”
Gary O’Neil
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil believes Chelsea will keep improving under Graham Potter #AFCB #ChelseaFC

December 25, 2022
CHELSEA will keep on improving “every week” Graham Potter is manager, according to Gary O’Neil. Potter swapped Brighton for Chelsea back in September, with the former Ostersunds manager struggling to find his feet at Stamford Bridge. The Blues last won a Premier League game back in October, with Potter picking up just 11 points in his eight league games in charge, although in Europe Chelsea have cruised through to knockout stages of the Champions League. Asked for his thoughts on Potter at the Blues, O’Neil shared: “I think that every week that Graham's there, I expect them to get better. “He's obviously a good coach. He has a style that has stuck for years, so a new group of players obviously need to adapt to that and learn it. “So I would think the break has been beneficial to him in sort of getting the players where he needs them to be. It’s difficult. They have changed formation quite a lot. “It's a difficult one to prepare for because, a newish manager that had a real set style at Brighton, but what he's done at Chelsea hasn't followed on from that too much, structure wise. “So, we'll prepare the best we can, make sure the boys are ready for what might come their way and give it a real good go.”
Graham Potter Brighton
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Graham Potter says Life at Chelsea is easy thanks to high quality #CHELSEAFC

October 27, 2022
Former Brighton boss Graham Potter says life at Chelsea is made easy when his players can score high quality goals. Stunning efforts from Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz sealed a 2-1 win in at RB Salzburg in their Champions League group encounter in testing conditions and booked a last-16 spot. Croatian midfielder Kovacic found the top corner with a first-time effort in the first half and after Junior Adamu had levelled for the Austrians, German attacker Havertz won the game in fine style by curling a sublime shot in off the post. "It is amazing, top corner, it makes my job a lot easier when they can do that," Potter told BT Sport, ahead of his returning to Brighton with his new club for a Premier League fixture this weekend. "Great for Kai, I'm really pleased, he has been fighting and trying his best, so to score that and help us win, fantastic." The goals were worthy of the win and Potter was pleased to see his side stop a 40-game unbeaten home record for Salzburg. "I am delighted. It was a fantastic performance, I thought the players showed real courage here because the atmosphere, they are so intense," he added. "We were under pressure but I thought we controlled it well, we attacked well, created some chances. I was a bit disappointed to be only 1-0 half-time - one action from them, which can happen at this level - but we responded really well and a great goal from Kai and overall we deserved it. "It was hard work but it is going to be at this level, that is how it is, away from home in the Champions League is so complicated, with the crowd and their team and the quality they have. Overall we played well, delighted for the players. They were fantastic." Kovacic did leave the game early after suffering a calf issue, but Potter added: "He is feeling his calf a little bit, it is a heavy pitch. "He was feeling a little bit of tightness, hopefully it's not too bad. It is just how it is at this point of the season." Chelsea are unbeaten in nine games in all competitions under Potter, with six wins and three draws, and will arrive at the Amex at the weekend sitting in fifth place, six points above ninth-placed Albion.