Graham Potter understands the anger and frustration of supporters after Chelsea's' dismal run of results and admits the 1-0 defeat to bottom-of-the-table Southampton at Stamford Bridge was unacceptable.
Chelsea have taken just 21 points from the 17 Premier League matches overseen by Potter, who was brought in to replace the popular Thomas Tuchel at the beginning of September. The poor form has left the Blues tenth in the Premier League table and closer to the relegation zone than the Champions League places.
The nadir of Potter's tenure came at the weekend as Chelsea were beaten by a Southampton side who had lost nine of their previous ten league matches and had sacked their head coach, Nathan Jones, six days earlier. James Ward-Prowse's first-half free-kick was the difference between the two sides.
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Potter received a barrage of boos and abuse from Chelsea supporters inside Stamford Bridge come full-time on Saturday. It was not a pleasant experience for the 47-year-old but something he is prepared to take. “When results are going well, this is the world we’re in," he said.
"There is a transition and factors but at the same time there is emotion and the team is losing. When we’ve had the results we’ve had, I can understand. I’m not stupid. I’m not naive. My job is to try to keep going, help the team, support them through a team period, and take that criticism.”
Potter continued: “We were all disappointed after Borussia Dortmund because of the chances we created and the opportunities we had. You need to score at the level we’re playing at, that is the reality. [Against Southampton] it was the same.
"With the chances we had, we need to score – and it’s something that we have to keep working on. There are reasons and I could stand here for five minutes and talk about them, but I know we have to do better. It’s not acceptable to lose 1-0 here and any criticism I get is fair.”
A recurring complaint from supporters is the lack of emotion shown by Potter, both on the touchline during matches and in press conferences. But the former Brighton boss will not pretend to be someone he isn't. “You can only be yourself and try your best to be yourself.
"I get it that when you are losing that there’s always something you should do or change. I have always been this way and it has got me to this point. But at the same time, I know people want something different.”
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