Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says Graham Potter has to learn to “ignore the outside world” if he is to turn things around and become a success at Chelsea.
Potter has won just nine of his opening 20 games in charge of the Blues since taking over from Thomas Tuchel in September. The 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace last Sunday was Chelsea’s second in their last 10 Premier League matches and they are 10th in the league, 10 points adrift of the top four.
Todd Boehly’s consortium has splashed the cash since taking over the club in May and Potter is under pressure to turn heavy investment into results. Chelsea travel to Anfield to play Liverpool in Saturday’s early kick-off and Klopp has given his opposite number some advice ahead of the meeting between two out-of-form sides.
Asked in his pre-match press conference how he dealt with the pressure and scrutiny when he first became Liverpool manager, Klopp replied: "I didn't read too much. Graham's problem is he is English, so he sees [the criticism] more. [The] Best thing I did was ignore the size of the club. I realised that later on when I went abroad. Potter doesn't need advice, [he is a] top coach.
"22 years ago when I became a manager, [there were] no smartphones, so much less information. I analysed games on DVDs. When you wanted to know outside-world thoughts, you'd ask or read a newspaper. [It was] Easy to avoid [criticism]. I am interested in opinions but from people who really care.
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"Now, we come back to social media – oh my God! Everyone with no expertise has opinions. Back in the day, you'd write a letter to the newspaper and they had to print it. Best advice from a 55-year-old perspective: ignore the outside world."
Chelsea were on a three-match losing streak in all competitions coming into their fixture against Palace, but Potter says that the group has remained together and focused on turning things around. “We had a period of suffering and it’s nice to win,” he said on Friday.
“During that period, we were together, there weren’t flames here. It was a group that understood the position we were in but at the same time, focused and determined to turn things around.
"There was a maturity and intelligence to understand the situation without disrespecting the criticism and noise that comes your way when you don’t get the results you should at Chelsea.
"The win has been important, but it’s just a win. We have to back it up, go to Liverpool and try to get the three points.”
Potter said that new signing Mykhaylo Mudryk is unlikely to start the match at Anfield after completing his £87million transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk, but could appear off the bench. Asked if the Ukraine winger would make his debut, Potter replied: “There’s a chance. It’s about how much he can do. 90 minutes? No, but there is probably a role for him at some stage of the game.”
