Chelsea players have been given two days off from training on Sunday and Monday following their 1-0 defeat to Southampton, a source has told football.london.
The Blues were beaten by the Saints on Saturday afternoon as the pressure continues to mount on Graham Potter at Stamford Bridge. The 47-year-old has seen his side win just one from their last 10 matches in all competitions and he is coming under increasing pressure with a lot of Chelsea supporters calling for him to be sacked from his role.
However, Potter is adamant he remains the right man to lead Chelsea's long-term project. The Blues head coach has also accepted that the criticism is fair and he is open to receiving it if results don't go his team's way.
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"I know my quality and I know what I have done in my career but I also understand that when results don't go your way that you are open to criticism and that is fair," Potter said. "It is not acceptable to lose 1-0 at home here – and any criticism I get is now fair."
Chelsea now have a rare break with no midweek game to contend with before they make the short trip to north London to face fierce rivals Tottenham. Spurs climbed into the top-four on Sunday afternoon after beating West Ham United at home and they will be hoping they can build on that three points with a similar result against the Blues at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It's a big week for Potter in terms of getting his players as prepared as possible for the Premier League clash. However, the Chelsea players have been given two days off following the defeat to Southampton, with no training scheduled by the club until Tuesday.
Having the Sunday off after the game is not uncommon as many teams use it as a rest day. Monday also being used as a day off came as more of a surprise, but with Chelsea not scheduled to play again until Sunday afternoon, perhaps Potter sees it as the ideal chance for his players to go away and refresh themselves, physically and mentally, after what has been a gruelling period for the squad.
Chelsea supporters made their feelings known at full-time of the Southampton defeat at the weekend. A chorus of boos could be heard from the majority of Stamford Bridge after the Saints inflicted back-to-back defeats on the Blues but Potter was quick to point out some of the difficult circumstances he has had to deal with over recent matches.
"After a 1-0 defeat at home, any criticism you get is understandable," the Chelsea head coach said when asked about the fans booing. "I think we've had a tough period and I think we've had lots of challenges in terms of integrating young players into the Premier League. While results don't go your way it can be tough, that is how it is.
"I'm sure there will be people out there that think I'm the problem, absolutely. I don't think they are right but I am not arrogant enough to say their opinion isn't worth articulating.
"My job is to help the team, keep working through a team period, we've had to make some changes today and the truth is we took a step back in our performance in the first-half. The response in the second-half was good, but it wasn't good enough."
Chelsea are expected to return to training at Cobham on Tuesday with a big week of preparations ahead. Potter has some big decisions to make for the trip to Tottenham at the weekend, with plenty of changes set to be made after the lacklustre performance against Southampton on Saturday.
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