Harvey Downes | A cloud looms over The Bridge but will Potter get the time to replicate Arteta’s turnaround?

IT’S hard to believe that Graham Potter’s tenure at Chelsea began with a nine-match unbeaten run, including a five-game winning streak at the start of October. Now, just a distant memory. That well renowned “new manager bounce” came to an abrupt end at the hands of his former employers, as Brighton put four past the Blues in a game which also saw them score two own goals.

At the time, it felt as though that defeat could be significant – as it’s proven to be. Since and including that defeat to the Seagulls in late October, only one of the 92 English league clubs have won fewer games (QPR, 1) or scored fewer goals (Everton, 6) than Chelsea (2 wins & 7 goals).

THINGS GO FROM BAD TO WORSE

The Blues have slipped to 10^th in the table and sit 14 points off top four following a run of just two wins from their last 15 league games (D6 L7). In fact, they currently find themselves closer to bottom of the table Southampton (13 pts ahead) than they do to fourth placed Spurs (14 pts behind), despite bolstering their squad significantly in January, spending more than all LaLiga, Ligue 1, Serie A and Bundesliga clubs combined (but we’ll get onto that…).

Sunday’s London derby defeat to Spurs was their third loss-to-nil on the bounce in all competitions and was followed up with the news that Chelsea fans would have been fearing – a sustained period on the sidelines for arguably their most consistent performer across the last few seasons, Thiago Silva.

Another name to add to Chelsea’s long-term injury list this season. Time will tell, but it feels as though no absence will be felt as much as his. While a lot has changed on and off the pitch at Chelsea in the last year, the Brazilian has been virtually ever-present and a calming figure in the face of adversity. At the age of 38, he’s racked up more minutes than any other outfielder under Potter (1,747) highlighting his importance.

THE TINKERMAN

It’s not unusual to see a new manager experiment with different personnel and systems as he gets to know his squad in the search for that winning formula. Throw into the mix a number of long-term injuries, more new faces, suspensions (one in particular) and midweek European football, there’s no surprise Chelsea have used more players (31) and made the most starting XI changes (79) of any Premier League side since Potter’s first game in charge.

By contrast, league leaders Arsenal have managed to name a fairly familiar lineup throughout the campaign, making the fewest changes overall (19), with five players starting every game so far. In their case, consistency in selection has certainly help yield results. Meanwhile, Man City, who are renowned for their strength in depth, have used the fewest players this term (21), with Guardiolia reportedly favouring working with smaller squads. The truth of the matter is, Graham Potter is still getting to know his players and his players are still getting to know how he wants them to play.

NEW SIGNINGS FAIL TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING

Chelsea’s six January recruits (that are currently at the club) have made a combined 27 appearances for the club so far, returning just a single goal (Felix vs West Ham), a single assist (Fernandez vs West Ham) and a single win (Badiashile vs Crystal Palace).

While there have been glimpses of their potential – Mudryk against Liverpool for instance, or Felix on debut against Fulham (we all know how that ended) – and they may still go on to have successful careers at Chelsea, the new signings have not had the instant impact fans and those high up at the club would have been expecting or hoping for given the size of transfer fees involved.

LACK OF CUTTING EDGE

Having scored seven goals in their first three Premier League games under Potter, Chelsea have since netted just eight in the proceeding 15 matches. Indeed, only Everton (9) have failed to score in more Premier League games than the Blues since Potter took over at the Bridge (8).

However, a lack of potency in front of goal isn’t an entirely new concept when it comes to Graham Potter sides. In all three of his full Premier League seasons with Brighton, the Seagulls significantly underperformed with regards to Expected Goals, a trend that has followed him to Chelsea, with the Blues scoring just under six goals fewer than expected (15 goals from 20.9 xG).

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE

When Graham Potter was announced, certain phrases such as “rebuild”, “long term project” and “trust the process” were used. Following Chelsea’s defeat to Spurs at the weekend he referenced Mikel Arteta’s start to life at Arsenal.

“Two years into Mikel’s reign, he was close to getting the sack, people wanted him out, it was a disaster”.

In late 2020, the Gunners went on a run of just three wins in 11 games, which heaped the pressure on Arteta. However, the club stood by the Spaniard and two years on are reaping the rewards. While the parallels are there to be seen, it’s whether Graham Potter will be afforded the time to turn things around.

Chelsea have two vitally important home fixtures coming up (vs Leeds & Borussia Dortmund), important both in the context of the season and Potter’s future. These games are then followed by an away trip to Leicester where they’ve lost just two of their last 10 away Premier League games (W6 D2). However, both defeats saw the final games in charge for managers Jose Mourinho (1-2 in December 2015) and Frank Lampard (0-2 in January)…