Tottenham vs Chelsea press conference: Potter on when Azpilicueta, Kante and Pulisic will be available after injury
24 FEB 2023
Chelsea head coach Graham Potter addressed the media ahead of Sunday's Premier League London derby away at Tottenham Hotspur, providing an update on N'Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic's return from injury and the availability of Cesar Azpilicueta after our captain was stretchered off in our last game.
Our next match in the Premier League is yet another derby game, but this one has a bit of extra spice due to the long-standing rivalry between Chelsea and Tottenham.
Before our trip to north London, Graham Potter confirmed it is a game he and his team are looking forward to, but also underlined what the Blues need to do at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to get back on course following last week's home defeat to Southampton.
'I want to see a positive reaction,' said Potter. 'We need a strong performance, we need three points.
'It’s a fantastic game, a London derby. It’s a game we’re really looking forward to, the training week has been really good, the response of the players has been really good. So we’re looking forward to the game.'
Our head coach also confirmed he used this week as an opportunity to give his players a couple of days off, as we were without a midweek fixture following our trip to Germany the previous Wednesday, sandwiched between two Premier League matches.
'They were scheduled days off and after the week we had with the Champions League it just fitted that they were there. Sometimes you need a couple of days to clear the head and to make sure that the feedback and the planning is correct. So it was already scheduled.'
Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta left the pitch on a stretcher and was taken to hospital when he suffered a nasty head injury in our game against Southampton last week, after being caught by Sekou Mara's flying boot.
However, Potter had good news on his condition after the Spaniard was released from hospital and returned to Cobham this week, even if he won't be available for selection at Tottenham.
'He’s okay, as okay as you can be when you’ve had that type of concussion,' explained our head coach. 'He’s around the place, around the boys, it’s great to see him.
'Obviously he won’t be available to play at the weekend, we need to go through the right protocols, but the good news is he’s doing well.'
Several players sat out last week's game with Southampton at Stamford Bridge as a precaution, Potter attempting to manage players' minutes with so many having recently returned from injury, to avoid further setbacks or new injuries to the other players he has had to rely heavily on during that period.
However, there was further good news, as Potter confirmed they should be back in contention to face Tottenham, while two of those still missing - N'Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic - continue their own work to recover and return to the fold on matchdays.
'The players who missed Southampton will be back. We’ve had a good week’s training, everybody’s available pretty much, apart from N’Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic.
'They are certainly making progress. They are joining the warm-up at the moment and they will be more integrated next week. So that’s good.'
Potter was also asked about the availability and future of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who hasn't featured since missing out on our Champions League squad at the end of January.
'He has a future here,' added Potter. 'He is competing for a place in the squad, he’s had a really good training week. It’s been a great response from the situation that we’ve been in and he’s available for selection.'
== Tottenham vs Chelsea injury list ==
Raheem Sterling and Mateo Kovacic both made their return against Southampton last week, but Potter will still be without Edouard Mendy and Armando Broja, who remain unavailable as they work on their rehabilitation following injury.
Tottenham are without Rodrigo Bentancur for the rest of the season after he suffered a serious knee injury, while fellow midfielder Yves Bissouma and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris are both expected to be out until the end of March. Ryan Sessegnon is also a doubt after missing Spurs' last three games with a hamstring problem.
== Tottenham vs Chelsea suspension ==
There are no suspensions for either side in this match.
Players who accumulate 10 yellow cards in Premier League matches up to and including our 32nd fixture will serve a two-match suspension in the competition.
== Premier League booking list ==
C. Gallagher 4, Koulibaly 4, Kovacic 4, Azpilicueta 3, T. Chalobah 3, Havertz 3, R. James 3, Mount 3, R. Sterling 3, Cucurella 2, Aubameyang 1, Badiashile 1, Chilwell 1, L. Hall 1,
Kepa 1, Loftus-Cheek 1, E. Mendy 1, Pulisic 1, Thiago Silva 1.
== Tottenham vs Chelsea referee and VAR ==
Referee: Stuart Attwell
VAR: Paul Tierney
Stuart Attwell was the referee for our goalless draw with Fulham at Stamford Bridge three weeks ago. His other two Blues games this season were at Leeds United and at home to Manchester United.
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https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/potter-knows-actions-will-speak-louder-than-words-at-spurs
Potter knows actions will speak louder than words at Spurs
25 FEB 2023
Graham Potter is eager to put the smiles back on the Chelsea supporters’ faces, but knows the only thing that will do that is improved results on the pitch, as he outlines what he and his team have been working on at Cobham ahead of Sunday’s Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur.
Chelsea had been showing some promising signs of progress as Graham Potter attempts to gel his new-look squad into a team capable of competing at the highest level in the Premier League and Champions League, but suffered a setback with a disappointing performance in a 1-0 defeat to Southampton at Stamford Bridge last week.
However, attention has quickly switched to what is ahead, namely a London derby away at Tottenham on Sunday afternoon, even if he admits it has not been an easy week.
‘It’s always tough when you lose,’ said Potter. ‘Certainly when you lose at home it’s very tough, but that’s normal. The response of the players has been really good. Of course we’ve had conversations and one-to-ones and we’ve talked and we’ve tried to put things into perspective as well, because that’s also important, but it’s been a tough week.’
Of course, it is not just our head coach and his players who have been feeling the pain of that defeat, and Potter acknowledges they are well aware of the supporters’ frustrations with recent results, knowing the disapproval that comes in difficult times goes hand-in-hand with the support you receive when things are going well.
Rather than dwell on those frustrations and talk endlessly about them, he instead chooses to accept the reactions and focus on giving the fans something to celebrate the only way he can, by producing victories on the pitch.
‘If you lose 1-0 to Southampton who are bottom of the league and you’re Chelsea then you expect fans to be upset, rightly so, and let their feelings be known, because they care. We accept that, that’s fair, I’ve had a lot of support from the supporters as well. I know there’s nothing I can say now that’s going to make the supporters happy about it, the solution is you have to win football matches.
'Results haven’t been good enough, 1-0 at home to Southampton isn’t good enough, people are entitled to be angry. My response is that I think there are also things which are a contributing factor to that result as well, but I’m not here today to convince them. My actions have got to convince them, the team have got to convince them. We’ve got to win football matches, there’s nothing I can say that will change that.’
One of those contributing factors has been the need to integrate a number of young new faces into his side, perhaps relying on them more than he would have liked at this early stage in their Blues careers due to injuries for some of his more experienced Premier League campaigners.
It is a challenge Potter admits is not an easy one, as he attempts to find a balance between showing patience with the new arrivals while also trying to match his and the club’s high short-term ambitions and dealing with the added expectations that comes with those signings.
‘It’s tough, it’s the toughest job in football. The club invested a lot of money in the squad, which adds to the pressure, which adds to the expectation, adds to the noise. But the players that we’ve got, they’re not 28-year-old 400-game Premier League players. They’re young players that you need to take time to adapt.
‘At the same time, with the injury situation that we’ve had, you’ve got to try to adapt and get them up to speed to play in the Premier League. That’s the position that we’ve been in. We thought we were making progress, then we had a first half against Southampton, the third game in a week, returning from a Champions League game, that was below par, then the sky can fall in.’
Our head coach also believes that finding the attacking combinations and momentum can be the most difficult thing for players still developing an understanding together, which goes some way to explain why that is the area of Chelsea’s game causing him the most concern at the moment.
However, Potter feels the solution is to focus on the next opponents and how best to create chances and score goals against them, rather than looking back at games and opportunities which have already been and gone, something reflected on the work he has been doing with his team at Cobham ahead of facing Tottenham.
‘We’ve looked at a few things,’ he continued. ‘Obviously I don’t want to articulate it too much as it might give our opponents something to think about.
‘From a training perspective we’ve tried to work on being positive, acting well, behaving well, behaving as a team that understands the responsibility, understands the position we’re in and acts in a way that we should.
‘If we perform to the level we did against Dortmund and if we perform to the level we did at the start of the West Ham game, we keep moving forward, I think we’ll score goals because we’ve got the players who can do it. The quality’s there.
‘When you’re integrating new players and young players into the team, it’s not so easy for everything to just click. The most difficult part of the game is the attacking part of the game, so it’s no surprise that you have to work a bit with that. In the situation we’ve been in, with players coming back from injury, to get that fluidity, to get that certainty in your attacking play, it’s a process.
‘I’ve spoken with individuals and as a group about how to attack against Tottenham, to focus on that. The past is the past and we need to focus on the next game, which is Tottenham, and how we can attack well there against a team that doesn’t give much away, defends with a back five, defends strong and deep, presses high when they can. So we’re trying to think about that.’
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Potter: I do care, I want to succeed
25 FEB 2023
Graham Potter is not hiding from the fact that some of what he has had to deal with recently is tough to take, but while putting it into context, he has also spoken about his approach to criticism.
Our head coach has revealed that as well as the general media pressure and fan discontentment he expects to accompany a run of below-par results at a club like Chelsea, there have now been instances of criticism that have tipped over into unacceptable abuse.
However widely speaking, he remains grateful to have his role and fully intends to stay true to his real self as he goes about doing his best for the club, highlighting that he is not the only one with cause for concern.
‘The world is tough for everybody,’ Potter points out. ‘We're going through an energy crisis, a cost of living crisis, people are striking every other week, so things are difficult. No one wants to hear about the poor old Premier League manager.
‘Nevertheless if I am asked is it hard, is it tough, is it not nice to hear, as much as I've had support I’ve also had some not particularly nice emails come through that want me to die and want my kids to die, that type of stuff. That's obviously not pleasant to receive.
‘For four months I'm under pressure and that's what happens, that's football, that's how it is. And then the challenge for me is okay, how do I conduct myself? I think the higher you go, the more focus you have to have on how you are as a person.’
Potter especially counters anyone saying to him that he does not care enough about how Chelsea are performing under his coaching.
‘It’s a challenge and if you go to work and somebody is swearing abuse at you, it is not very pleasant,’ he says.
‘Everyone does care what people think because we're hardwired to be socially connected. I want to succeed here. It is nonsense that I don't care. If people have a perception that I don't care, my response is what is that based on, how do you know? Ask my family how life has been for me and for them. It's been not pleasant at all.
‘I understand supporters go home and they're really annoyed because the team aren't winning, but I assure you my life the last three or four months has been fairly average, apart from the fact that I'm really grateful for this experience and I can see what a great challenge this is.’
Potter agrees people may think that someone in his position, with the status of the manager at a big football club, should be able to shrug off scrutiny and criticism and not carry it with them, adding:
‘I think that is fair because life is tough for lots of people and no one really wants to care about Premier League football managers or Premier League players. Sometimes life isn't fair and I understand the position. It's not that I complain about it.
‘I’m asked is it hard and I'm saying yeah, this is when it's hard. You suffer, you get upset, when you're in private you show real emotion with your family.
‘My job is to try to act how I think I should act, for the best way for the team and for Chelsea Football Club. Act with Integrity that is right for me. I don't want to be anybody else. I don't want to be fake. I'll be me, do my best, and if my best isn't good enough, okay, I accept that.’
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以下內容出自 football.london：
Every word Graham Potter said on Chelsea fan anger, owner support, Azpilicueta, Kante, Pulisic
By Adam Newson, Chief Chelsea correspondent - UPDATED 14:46, 24 FEB 2023
．There have been reports you had a message of support from the board, have you spoken to them this week and put their support behind you?
"Yes, I've spoken to them and it's the same as it's always been. There has always been support. I've been under pressure here for four months from you guys. Have you spoken to the owners? Do you have their support? That continues and they've been great, brilliant. They also see where we're at but at the same time are frustrated because the results are what they are and we have to do better."
．How difficult is it to blend together a side and win matches?
"It's really tough. My quote a few weeks ago was that this is probably the toughest job in football, and there are a lot of factors for that. There was a sub-optimal pre-season – and speaking to a few of the experienced guys, they thought it was the worst pre-season they've had for different reasons. That isn't to blame anybody for the reasons. It's just that it happened."
．What were the reasons?
"I don't want to speak about that. It was more organisationally, for different reasons, the tour didn't quite work as well as they'd have liked. I wasn't there so I can't say. That was one thing, then old players left, new players came in, a manager change, and I turn up in the middle of a Champions League Saturday-Tuesday schedule.
"We have the most unprecedented injury situation in that period in the Premier League. We played Newcastle before the break and we had no Kepa, no Reece James, no Ben Chilwell, no Marc Cucurella, no Wesley Fofana, no N'Golo Kante, no Raheem Sterling, no Ruben Loftus-Cheek after two minutes, and no Cesar Azpilicueta. We lost 1-0 and that is where we were at.
"We then had the World Cup, then the club invest a lot of money in the squad and the pressure, expectation, and noise goes up. But the players we got, they're not 28-year-old, 400-game Premier League players. They are young players that take time to adapt to, and at the same time we've got the injured players who have to get up to speed to play in the Premier League.
"That is the position we were in. We thought we were making progress but then we had the first half against Southampton – the third game in a week after a Champions League game – that was below par. Then the sky can fall in. That's essentially how I can say that are some of the inconvenient facts if you say I'm not use. But that is the situation."
．Too many players are afraid to miss and is that pressure of being at Chelsea?
"It doesn’t matter who scores, the more goalscorers you have in the team the better it is. My job, and we haven’t done as well as we would have liked, is to get the team to attack well, that chances are created from all over the pitch and then you can score goals. As it is we’ve made steps into how we play, it’s still not perfect by any stretch. But while you don’t score, and the xG is this and the reality is this, there is always a debate to be had. My focus is on how does the team perform better, how does the team attack better and then with the quality of players we have we will score."
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