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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has told Chelsea owner Todd Boehly that he must give Graham Potter time to implement his ideas at Stamford Bridge after watching his team beat the Blues for the second time in four days.
Following Thursday’s 1-0 Premier League win in the capital that dropped Chelsea to tenth place, City knocked Potter’s side out of the FA Cup with a resounding 4-0 win at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Riyad Mahrez opened the scoring with a fine free kick before Julian Alvarez’s penalty and a Phil Foden goal made it 3-0 before half-time, with Mahrez finishing the job with another second-half penalty.
Man City boss Pep Guardiola has urged Todd Boehly not to sack Graham Potter.
A poor run at Chelsea has left many wondering if Potter should be sacked.
The half-time whistle was greeted with boos from the traveling support, and in the second half Chelsea fans chanted the name of former owner Roman Abramovich and Potter’s predecessor Thomas Tuchel as they reminisced about happier times.
But Guardiola, who praised Potter when he was at Brighton, urged Chelsea to stick with their man.
“I would say to Todd Boehly, give him time,” Guardiola said. “I know that in the big clubs, the results are important, but I would say that they give it time.
Chelsea were knocked out of the FA Cup on Sunday night after a dismal 4-0 loss to Man City.
It is the latest in a losing streak for the Blues who have slipped to tenth in the First Division.
Riyad Mahrez excelled for Man City scoring a couple of goals during the match.
“The second half is what it is. What he’s done in Brighton is outstanding, but… we need time in the first season. I had (Lionel) Messi at Barcelona my first season, so I didn’t need two seasons because Messi was there. .”
Chelsea failed to manage a shot in a first half that Potter described as “painful”, not even vaguely threatening Stefan Ortega’s goal until a Mason Mount shot in the 54th minute that was deflected wide.
It could point to an ongoing injury crisis that kept nine players out of this game and led to the teenager Bashir Humphreys making his senior defense debut, but Potter accepted that Chelsea fans needed to see more.
Chelsea failed to get a shot in the first half and was booed off the pitch at half time.
“The results in a small space of time are not positive,” he said. “You can make excuses and find reasons or say it’s not good enough. Both answers are correct.
“We have to keep improving and stick together because clearly we are suffering as a football club and it’s not pretty. But that’s where we are at the moment.”
Despite the defeat, Potter urged unity within his team that will play Fulham on Thursday.
Chelsea currently sit 10th in the Premier League table having won one game in eight matches.
“There’s nothing we can do other than do our job better and work harder. You understand the frustration of the fans, we respect that. But our job is to do our job and keep working.”
At the very least, Chelsea won’t face City again until they return here in the league in May.
“This opponent is probably the worst opponent you can play when things aren’t going very well because they can make you look like you’re not running or not trying because their positional structure is brilliant,” Potter added.
Guardiola praised his left back, Mahrez, acknowledging his ‘importance’ in big games
“They use the whole width of the pitch, they keep the ball, they make it difficult for you to press them. I’m working with the players, I don’t understand people with a bad attitude.”
“Everyone wants to try to do better. I think there’s support in the dressing room. We’re just going through a hard time and sometimes when you have these moments you need someone or something to blame, but we have to stick together and keep working.” . .”
Mahrez struggled to form earlier this season but has shown signs of being almost back to his best, and has certainly thrived against Chelsea this season, scoring four goals in three games.
“Riyadh’s quality is everything,” Guardiola said. “He loves to play football. He helped us break up the game with a fantastic free kick. He put on an outstanding game…
“Riyad in big games is a fantastic player, I know how important he is… Since we got back, he’s playing very, very well.”