SAMI MOKBEL: Why the walls are closing in on Graham Potter at Chelsea: Results are abysma
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Suddenly cracks start to appear. So far, Chelsea’s co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have been unwavering in their support for manager Graham Potter.
It was a message that continued on Monday, with Potter expected to be in charge for Saturday’s game against Leeds despite the Blues’ latest setback at Tottenham on Sunday.
But those close to the club are feeling a sea change, a very significant one. The pressure on Potter intensifies and, for the first time, the trust of American owners in his man is tested.
Blow after blow after blow, however, the narrative that has emanated from the Stamford Bridge boardroom has been one of unwavering faith.
Chelsea’s faith in head coach Graham Potter (pictured) is beginning to look blind, not sane
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has shown his support for Potter but that could now be proven
The Blues lost 2-0 against rivals Tottenham on Sunday afternoon, their third defeat in a row
Faith in a coach whose team has lost three in a row.
Faith in a coach whose team has won twice in 15 games.
Faith in a coach whose team has scored one goal in six games.
But is it blind faith? It is increasingly difficult to argue otherwise.
If doubts arise, and Sportsmail is led to believe so, it would be natural. It would be more surprising if no questions were asked.
More setbacks in Chelsea’s next two games against Leeds in the Premier League and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League one week on Tuesday and the current malaise will become palpable.
Loss of faith can be a painful experience, both for those who once believed and for those who no longer believe.
The result means the west London side have won just twice in their last 15 matches.
It seems that there will soon come a point where Potter could lose his job as manager.
Perhaps it explains why Potter is still in charge of Chelsea.
But the next nine days, certainly if Chelsea extend their winless run to eight games, will be indicative of how solidly that faith sits.
The owners have spent £600m on new talent in two transfer windows, so it’s entirely fair that they feel they should get better value for money.
However, the sheer number of players that have entered the building has undoubtedly caused problems for Potter (below).
Managing a standard Premier League squad of 25 is hard enough, but 31 seems next to impossible. Potter is forced to leave several big money signings out of his match day squads altogether and finds it difficult to balance them.
The 2-0 loss to Spurs on Sunday was the last punishing experience for the boss under fire. For 25 minutes, Chelsea played quite well. But when they fell behind early in the second half, his response was weak.
Sections of an increasingly disgruntled fan base have already decided that Potter must be fired.
The fact that Boehly was present when fans expressed their discontent for the second week in a row could prove significant. If they lose to Leeds at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, the dissension will reach a fever pitch, and this time the boos will not be drowned out by the euphoric Tottenham supporters.
What happens then? More support? More faith? At what point do Chelsea owners become guilty? If they lose to Leeds? What if they are knocked out of the Champions League next week? If they are relegated?
Of course, that final suggestion is nonsense, although Sunday’s loss in the London derby leaves Chelsea closer to the relegation zone (10 points) than it is to the Champions League places (14 points).
As refreshing as Chelsea’s endorsement of Potter has been, when does doing nothing turn negligent? Sections of an increasingly disgruntled fan base have already made up their minds and the focus will be on the owners if there is no quick upgrade or manager change.
The emergence of a petition on Monday demanding Potter’s dismissal simply added to the feeling that supporters have washed their hands of him.
Even Potter couldn’t hide the fact that the walls are closing in after Sunday’s loss.
“I have not done enough in this club to have too much good faith, I accept it,” he said. “If the results aren’t good enough, you can’t rely on support forever.”
Chelsea spent nearly £200m on Enzo Fernández (right) and Mykhailo Mudryk (centre)
£75m signing Wesley Fofana (right) came on but couldn’t stop Spurs from scoring twice
Potter has conducted himself with great dignity through a rough season thus far. Claims that he is not “angry” enough to succeed at Chelsea are misplaced. However, dignity will only get you so far.
Potter would likely have already been sacked under Chelsea’s previous owner, Roman Abramovich.
So far, Boehly and his close ally Behdad Eghbali have shown more patience.
There is no precedent with Chelsea’s new owners that can help us make assumptions about when their patience will start to wear thin.