Graham Potter has revealed the Chelsea squad have instructed him that they had their “worst pre-season ever” in the summertime because the under-fire supervisor defended his facet’s poor run of outcomes.

Former Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel was answerable for Chelsea for his or her tour of the US, which was deliberate by the earlier regime earlier than the £4.25bn sale to the Todd Boehly-led consortium in Might.

Sunday twenty sixth February 12:30pm


Kick off 1:30pm

Chelsea have only one win of their final 10 matches in all competitions and Potter is placing that partly right down to the “suboptimal” pre-season a few of his gamers had.

“It is actually robust [to integrate new players and get results],” mentioned Potter forward of Sunday’s journey to Tottenham within the Premier League, stay on Sky Sports activities.

“My quote just a few weeks in the past is that it is the hardest job in soccer, and there are many elements for that.

“Talking to a few the skilled guys, they thought it was the worst pre-season they’ve had for various causes. That is to not blame anyone – that occurs.”

Requested for the explanations he replied: “Organisationally, the tour did not work in addition to they’d like. I wasn’t there so I can not say.”

‘I spoke to homeowners – assist nonetheless there’

Potter was late to his information convention on Friday as he joked he had simply come from a disaster assembly with the homeowners following stories there have been high-power talks in regards to the membership’s struggles this week.

The 47-year-old mentioned he had chatted with the homeowners and so they proceed to again him, as he took a dig on the media.

“I’ve spoken to them and it is the identical because it’s all the time been, there’s all the time been assist,” mentioned Potter.

“I have been below strain right here for 4 months from you guys do not forget.

“[Their support] continues. They have been nice and been sensible. I feel in addition they see the place we’re at and on the identical time are annoyed as a result of outcomes are what they’re and now we have to do higher.”

‘Switch spending has elevated strain’

Within the brief time Potter has been in cost since he changed Tuchel in September it has been the most important interval of change within the membership’s current historical past

Chelsea have spent greater than £600m within the switch market during the last two home windows, however accidents and adaptation time have stored the Blues from turning their fortunes round, based on Potter.

“There is a supervisor change in the course of a Champions League Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday. We have now essentially the most unprecedented harm scenario in that interval within the Premier League,” he mentioned.

“Then the World Cup. The membership invests some huge cash within the squad which does that (gestures upwardly) to the strain, the expectation and to the noise.

“However the gamers that we have got aren’t 28-year-old, 400-game Premier League gamers. They’re younger gamers that it’s good to take time to adapt to. On the identical time, the harm scenario that we had [means] you must attempt to get them up to the mark to play within the Premier League.

“We thought we had been making progress after which now we have the primary half in opposition to Southampton – our third sport in per week getting back from a Champions League sport – that was beneath par. The sky can then fall in. These are a few of the details. Inconvenient details when you say he is no use, however that is the scenario.”

Watch Tottenham vs Chelsea on Tremendous Sunday from 12.30pm, stay on Sky Sports activities; kick-off 1.30pm.