After the game on Saturday afternoon, Graham Potter insisted he was not the problem at Chelsea. He's right – in a way – he's not the only problem, there are many more, but he is not the right man to lead the club forward.
Potter is a great coach, there's no doubting that, but this Chelsea job has come too early for him. He's not the 'winner' Chelsea need right now. He's not the 'winner' to spearhead Todd Boehly's long-term vision. He's just not that guy and it's difficult to say that.
There are unique circumstances regarding Potter's 25-game spell as Chelsea head coach. Of course it has become more difficult because of the vast amount of players being introduced in recent months. Eight signings were made in January, not even to mention the squad overhaul in the summer from the squad he took over from Thomas Tuchel.
All of these players need time to bed in and that hasn't happened yet. With the hundreds of millions of pounds Boehly has spent already, there is inevitably heaps of pressure that come with that, too, meaning Potter's role is even more under the spotlight. However, most managers in world football would jump at the chance to use around £500million worth of new players – world-class players.
After 25 matches in charge, Potter has the lowest win rate – with 36% – of any other manager in Chelsea's history. The current head coach has won just nine of his opening 25 matches in all competitions.
Chelsea's most successful managers in recent years have been winners, proven winners at that. They have been personalities that can be described as loose. Nowadays, those sorts of characters tend to be the successful ones.
See Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, for example, who have both dominated English football over recent years. They are both so animated on the touchline and cannot hide their emotions in press conferences before or after the game. Tuchel was the same.
The German head coach is the polar opposite to what we see now with Potter. This isn't necessarily to say the way Potter handles himself is wrong, because it isn't. But right now, it's not what Chelsea need. They need a head coach who looks like they're willing to die for the team when they're on the side of the pitch - what we saw with Antonio Conte, Jose Mourinho and many more successful managers at Stamford Bridge over the years.
The club's board, including Boehly do back Potter and have done since his appointment in September. However, there's absolutely no way the reaction from Chelsea supporters at full-time of Saturday afternoon's 1-0 defeat to Southampton would not have impacted the senior figures within the club. They do care what the fans think.
Potter did a fantastic job at Brighton – there's no denying that, but this is Chelsea we're talking about. And, with all due respect to the fantastically-run Brighton, the two clubs are on different levels. Chelsea are a club that should be competing for every single trophy possible.
He hasn't yet developed a relationship with the supporters. But that does go both ways, to be fair to Potter. He hasn't been treated well or backed by the majority of the fans since he took over from Tuchel. That was, and is, the problem for Potter. He's not Tuchel.
Any manager could have walked through the door to replace the immensely popular German and would have been treated with disrespect. Potter was written off from minute one and that isn't fair. So it's almost understandable to see perhaps why Potter hasn't bonded with the fans yet. Chants of wanting Tuchel back, the previous ownership and more can of course affect the manager's mood.
Not only is Potter not Tuchel, he's the complete opposite. Tuchel had this aura about him that meant he was able to communicate with the supporters and almost reflect what they were all thinking via the press. It's not been the same with Potter.
If you log on to social media following a Chelsea defeat, fans are often bombarding Potter with criticism over what he has said after the game. They seem to think he has a defeatist attitude which isn't something they are used to.
Personally, I don't think it is a defeatist mentality. It's trying to find the positives – which, of course, there are few sometimes – after a defeat. However, he perhaps should have been briefed beforehand by the club how the supporters would react to these sorts of comments.
A really intelligent man. A lovely man. A truly unique man. A fantastic and promising head coach. But, in my opinion, not the right man for Chelsea at this moment in time.
As much as I think Potter should leave his role, I am one for a long-term project at the club and if there is still genuine belief from the owners over the head coach, then I'm all for it. But if there are now doubts creeping in, then it is time to pull the plug before it gets even worse. Somehow.
READ NEXT:
Four things learned as Graham Potter discovers hint of next Thiago Silva in Chelsea defeat
Every word Graham Potter said on Azpilicueta injury, fan range, Fofana change, Chelsea regression
Mauricio Pochettino has already given stance on Chelsea job as Graham Potter tipped to be sacked
Everything Graham Potter has said on his Chelsea future and getting sacked as pressure mounts
Next Chelsea manager shortlist emerges as Graham Potter tipped to be sacked
