Graham Potter believes there are numerous mitigating factors as to why Chelsea sit 10th in the Premier League but our head coach will not lose faith or belief in his coaching methods which have got him to this point.
The Blues fell to a first defeat in five Premier League matches at the hands of bottom club Southampton on Saturday due to a free-kick from Saints skipper James Ward-Prowse.
Despite a run of two wins in 14 top-flight encounters, the head coach still has full faith in his tactics and coaching techniques.
‘No, I do not [lose belief or faith in his methods]. I know it is football and sometimes this happens,’ Potter said after the match.
‘I know my qualities. I know what I have done in my career, and I understand when results do not go your way you are open to criticism, and that is fair.
‘This is the world we’re in. There is a transition and factors [to our results], but at the same time it is a motion, and the team is losing so you can understand. I am not stupid or naive, my job is to keep going and help the team through this tough period.
‘You can only be yourself and try your best. I get it, when you’re losing there is always something that you can do or change. I have always been this way [calm on the touchline] and it has got me to this point. At the same time, I can understand if people want something different.’
Six of the 11 players to start the match were signed in either the summer or winter window this season and Potter says those players will need time to adapt to their new working environment.
‘We have invested in some young players, for example if you look at Enzo, [Mykhailo] Mudryk, and [Noni] Madueke they have not played that many games, they are learning to play in the Premier League.
‘We are managing quite an unprecedented injury list, so you have to manage that also in the Premier League. All these things are true but unfortunately when you lose, it is not what people want to hear,’ he added.
‘We have returned from Dortmund, and you try to prepare the game [against Southampton]. We are all disappointed after Dortmund because of the chances we created and the opportunities we had, you need to score at the level we are playing at. Saturday was the same but it is something we have to keep working on.’