Graham Potter has been at Chelsea for greater than 4 months however continues to be struggling to determine what his best team really is. That is more and more.
The fundamental numbers reveal that in 15 Premier League video games in control of the Blues, Potter has made 64 adjustments to his beginning XI – a mean of simply over 4 adjustments from every sport to the following.
The sheer variety of gamers at his disposal, which has solely grown in current weeks, is an apparent motive for that. Chelsea introduced in eight new faces in the summertime at huge expense – a report spend for any membership in a single switch window – with these gamers nonetheless settling themselves by the point Thomas Tuchel was sacked and Potter was appointed to take over.
Seven extra new arrivals in January, the final of which arrived lower than 72 hours earlier than Friday’s lacklustre and disjointed 0-0 draw with Fulham, and Potter has needed to attempt to gel 15 gamers new this season beneath big stress to realize immediate success given the requirements of the final 20 years.
In summer season, Chelsea will signal Christopher Nkunku, have Malo Gusto are available after initially being loaned again to Lyon, are prone to recruit elsewhere and are anticipated to have at the very least just a few vital departures, which can solely proceed the continuing upheaval.
Potter conceded the shortage of familiarity in his post-match evaluation of the Fulham draw, highlighting the precise reverse of their west London neighbours.
“[Fulham] have been together a while. We’re a different stage of that – players coming back from injury and new players. We needed time to settle everything down. We were missing the connection, fluidity and confidence that comes from knowing each other,” he advised BBC Sport.
“We have to gel and become a really good team. That’s where the work is. When players have been injured, they have not been on the training pitch. We have new players with us. It’s about getting ideas across and working with the group.
“New players are adapting to a new country and a new league. It’s not straightforward. When the price tag is what it is questions will be asked, it’s the nature of the business.”
Time is going to be critical for Potter and Chelsea in that endeavour and it was clear from seeing them against Fulham, seeing the substitutions that were made, what needs to happen.
“The front line needs to improve, the midfield needs to improve, so even though they’ve spent £600m I looked at every department I thought they need to get a lot better,” Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville commented after the sport. “I wasn’t that impressed. It’s going to take a lot of time for players to settle in. It’s easy to see why as it’s so difficult to put a team together.”
Patience was something that former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich infamously lacked. But new chairman Todd Boehly appointed Potter and has been the one responsible for overseeing the enormous personnel changes within the squad in such a short space of time. He has to back his man.