Graham Potter admits one key thing as Chelsea struggles continue

Chelsea manager Graham Potter has confessed that the idea of ‘long-term’ does not exist as he continues to battle for his future at Stamford Bridge.

Potter replaced Thomas Tuchel earlier this season as the hand-picked choice of Chelsea’s new owners, who committed to a multi-year plan with the Englishman at the helm, although things have hardly gone to plan thus far.

Chelsea have fallen down to ninth in the Premier League and have been eliminated from both domestic cup competitions, leaving the Blues facing a season without silverware and an enormous battle to qualify for the Champions League.

Their poor form has led to countless questions about Potter’s future although 90min reported in January that the boss’ job is not believed to be under immediate threat.

Asked about his future ahead of the Champions League last-16 clash with Borussia Dortmund, Potter conceded he cannot afford to look too far into the future.

“You can’t talk about the long-term because that doesn’t exist in this job,” he explained. “You have to acknowledge there’s a long term but there’s a short term and medium term that is challenging for us in terms of results.

“The experienced players know what we’ve been through. You’re talking about some top professionals who know football. While people on the outside may have an opinion on things, these guys have been around and know the challenges we’ve faced. They know the situation the club has been in and what’s happened. So then it’s about helping them get through it, the inevitable frustration because they want to win. We all do and the supporters do. That’s where it’s been challenging.”

With just one win from their last eight games in all competitions, Chelsea head to Germany to face Dortmund on Wednesday in a game which Potter believes could go either way.

“In a knockout competition anything can happen,” he said. “That’s the thing. It’s two games. I don’t think it’s valuable for us to look past Dortmund.

“We have the capability to beat Dortmund but they are also a strong side with the capability to get a result as well. We have to understand that, go to Dortmund with humility, with respect, and try to get the result. Obviously it’s a tough match against a high-quality opponent.

“But at the same time, our team has got some good players. [This squad] has won the Champions League. They’ve experienced it. They’ll want to fight for the game, that’s for sure, and that’s exciting for us.”