Given Chelsea's form, every match has been massive for Graham Potter of late but their five-match winless run has only heaped more pressure on the Blues ahead of their match against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend. The Blues make the trip to north London sitting 10th in the Premier League table, 11 points behind Spurs who are in fourth position.
The pressure is building on the Chelsea boss and scrutiny over his position has been prevalent since their latest loss. That will only intensify if the Blues do not avoid defeat against Antonio Conte's side, who have not beaten Chelsea in the Premier League since 2018.
Potter has not shied away from the fact his team must improve, though some have been unimpressed with the caveats he has made. After two days off to rest his players, the time the 47-year-old head coach spends on the training pitches with Chelsea's bulging squad will be crucial.
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football.london takes a look at what Potter must do to find success against Tottenham - and beyond - below:
Find goals
Quite simply, Chelsea need to score. They have not done it enough over the course of the whole season and it is the single thing holding the Blues back the most, regardless of performance.
Against Spurs, they face a team that has scored almost double the amount of Premier League goals in 2022/23 (44 compared to 23) and have goal machine Harry Kane in their ranks. Going goalless will simply put too much pressure on the Blues backline, even if the Spurs striker has not netted in his last three games. Only twice has he gone more than three matches without a goal in the last three-and-a-half seasons.
Of course, Potter can not take the opportunities for his players but he must continue to facilitate a platform that provides them. There has already been a degree of improvement in the volume of chances Chelsea have created, much of it instigated by the arrival of Joao Felix.
However, it was Raheem Sterling who took responsibility in the second half against Southampton. He was twice cruelly denied on his return to the side but showed a relentlessness that Chelsea need to get over the hump of their goalscoring struggles.
A fast start
Chelsea may not be able to sustain control of a game for 90 minutes yet as Potter's players continue to gel but they cannot afford to start slowly. While they did not come away with victory against Spurs back in August, Chelsea were able to dominate and produce one of their more impressive performances of the season.
Conte's team have been known to start slowly themselves before improving in the second period of games. If Chelsea allow the Lilywhites to find an early foothold, finding their way back into the game will prove difficult.
Last term, the Blues became the first side to not fall behind in the first half of a match for a full season and while the team is much transformed, Potter needs to find that security for his side once again.
While Potter remains cool, calm and collected on the touchline he must ensure his side start the game with controlled aggression, despite being the visiting side for the derby.
Midfield decision
Spurs are without Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma and will have to select their midfield from Oliver Skipp, Pape Matar Sarr and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. Conte has been consistent in picking a midfield two and that could provide Potter with the platform to take advantage of a midfield not at the peak of its powers.
The Chelsea boss will have a big choice whether to opt for a midfield two or three and perhaps even more crucially, who to partner Enzo Fernandez with. The Argentina international arrived for a prestige fee and unsurprisingly has started every game since with a range of company. He has been joined by a combination of Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher, twice by Ruben Loftus-Cheek and more recently Mateo Kovacic.
While, Spurs' wingbacks will carry plenty of threat, Chelsea have a prime opportunity to win the midfield battle and to allow their attacking threats to flourish. If Potter can find a favoured partner at the same time ideal, but such is the importance of three points that a decision for the present much be taken.
Stick to his guns
While Potter's current stances may be infuriating many, he must retain conviction in his decisions, but particularly those regarding the fitness of his squad. The bulk of the former Brighton coach's time at Stamford Bridge has been dominated by injury and while that may make team selection easier, Potter will want to hold onto his best talents.
The cost of being without the likes of Thiago Silva and Reece James was clear in defeat to the Saints, but it also showed that Chelsea cannot afford to be without such players for extended period because of injury. While seeing so many changes in a single instance may prove problematic, the rest and rotation to key players was probably justified.
Why Chelsea's focus must be on the present, it cannot be detrimental to the future given the ethos the club strives for and the faith the likes of Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali are currently placing in him. Patience in player fitness will hopefully be vindicated.
There will no doubt be calls for N'Golo Kante's return soon given the Frenchman has taken to the training fields but the club must wait for the right moment, much like they have been more calculated with the likes of Reece James, Ben Chilwell and Wesley Fofana. Seeing them return at the right level will be crucial moving forwards.
Let us know your Chelsea XI to take on Tottenham in the comments section down below!
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