Graham Potter While looking forward to taking time to recharge after the international break, he reflects on a “crazy season” so far with Chelsea.
Players signed in January began to settle in, and results improved as Potter got more insight into his favorite 11 and his shape.
Saturday 2-2 draw Everton also Stamford Bridge They saw the team play the most fluid offensive football since the manager replaced Thomas Tuchel in September, but remained behind due to difficulties in converting chances.
This allowed the visitors to pull them back and Joao Felix equalized first with Abdoulaye Doucoure after giving Chelsea a lead in the second half.
Then, after Kai Havertz looked like he had won by a penalty, Ellis Simms took the lead in the 89th minute and beat Kalidou Koulibaly on the ball to home home and steal a point for Everton.
The manager pointed to the changes that have occurred at Chelsea in the past 12 months, starting with the sale of the club by Roman Abramovich to its new owner. Todd Boehly last May and wholesale turnover between the team and behind the scenes.
“Sometimes you have to see exactly what happened,” Potter said. “Since the last two windows, you’ve probably been looking at over 20 substitutions.
“In terms of stability, unity and spirit in the group, this has been really positive during this challenging period of weeks and months. It has been a crazy season with a unique season, the intensity of the matches before the World Cup and the injuries we took after.
“The transfer window added more noise to us. But we also have a young group that comes together and performs well together. Today’s performance was positive, Dortmund (in the Champions League) positive. But there is still a lot to do.”
The draw ended Potter’s three-in-a-row streak that changed the color of his tenure after a rough start to 2023.
In addition to their wins against Leeds and Leicester in the league, they eliminated Borussia Dortmund and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. they will meet their owners real Madrid in April.
The team will play against Aston Villa on April 1 after the international break and Potter is enjoying the chance to assess the situation ahead of the final weeks of the season.
“I always say, these days, you can’t do anything about them,” Potter said. “You accept them as they are. It’s been a busy few weeks, so we’ll take a break. We’ve had a good week. It was a positive performance for us today, but in the end we were frustrated with losing points.
“A busy period is coming, April and May will be heavy. As a leader, it’s important to me to get some freshness, recharge and use time.
“I’ll probably close my eyes for a few hours or try to close them. I’ll spend some time with my family, then we’ll see.”