Graham Potter believes that he has the backing of both Chelsea's owners and players amid the Blues poor run of form. The west London side have tasted victory just once in the previous nine Premier League matches and settled into 10th position in the table.
Defeat against Fulham increased the pressure both Potter and Chelsea are under, with Denis Zakaria being added to the 10-man strong injury list, while new signing Joao Felix was sent-off and is consequently suspended for Crystal Palace's trip to Stamford Bridge.
Circumstances have compounded to make Potter's job more difficult with the head coach conceding it is tough to see any light despite having learned a lot about how to improve the club moving forwards. The 47-year-old is not naive to the pressures of leading a club the size of Chelsea and accepts the hierarchy have the right to relieve him of his duties should they deem him to be at fault. Though conversations in recent weeks have been reassuring for the former Brighton boss.
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He said: "There are always questions if you don’t get the results. I was under pressure after two defeats before the World Cup break – and that is from the media. In terms of the board, I’ve had full support but I am not naive. If anybody that I work for thinks the problem lies with me then they have every right to say, ‘Thank you very much but it’s not working’. I accept that."
The Blues boss is seeing plenty of turnover in Chelsea's squad with the likes of Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana and Felix all added to his first team squad, while speculation has mounted over figures such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Christian Pulisic. That process is set to continue, with Chelsea expected to sign multiple players this month and in the summer, while the likes of Jorginho, Thiago Silva and N'Golo Kante are all set to see their contracts expire in the summer.
Potter does not believe his players are treading water however.
"I don’t think so," he added. "From what I see, they are professional, responsible, and honest. We’re in a bad moment and we’ve got challenges, everyone suffers from that point.
"January is always complicated no matter where you are because the window is open and human beings are human beings, but I don’t see any problems in that regard. I have the support of the boys and they have mine. We just need to keep working.”
Potter has had to endure songs about former boss Thomas Tuchel and received a mixed response when he applauded supporters at Craven Cottage. Nevertheless, the Blues boss is thankful for the support of Chelsea fans, but is understanding that they also may want to air their frustrations.
He said: “I’ve never been someone who places demands on the fans. The fans have been really great with us and I appreciate that. But I also understand they are frustrated with the results we’ve had and rightly so.
"We are Chelsea and we expect better and want better. So it’s up to us to perform well. The support was behind us against Manchester City, it was fantastic because the team played well and we gave them something to support. That’s our challenge.”
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