Jamie Carragher: 'Chelsea Would Not Have Hired Potter During Abramovich Era'

"Chelsea would not have hired Potter during Abramovich era," former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher writes in his column for the Telegraph.

"Their manager at that time [under Abramovich], Thomas Tuchel, is one of the world’s best coaches.

"He may have made a few mistakes, and by all accounts can be a demanding employee, but given that within 18 months he had already won the Champions League and reached the final of every cup competition he entered, getting rid of him seemed recklessly premature.

"They have gone from looking for the last piece of the jigsaw to win the Premier League to completely dismantling it.

"Now Chelsea are citing the models of other clubs – most of whom have been far less successful since 2004 – as the way ahead. It is hardly a surprise so many of their supporters are asking ‘why?’

"Potter’s appointment symbolises the shift. With the utmost respect to Potter – a fine coach whose legacy at Brighton and Hove Albion speaks for itself – he would never have been hired during the Abramovich era, where the remit was to come in and hit the ground running, and once the motor stalled you were out, usually replaced by a proven winner of the world-class calibre of Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti or Antonio Conte.

"Even the great Chelsea managers would not have survived a run of poor results and performances culminating in the worrying gulf in class in the recent fixtures against Manchester City.

"Potter is a club builder and unlike most of his Chelsea predecessors did not arrive at Stamford Bridge as a serial winner. undefinedd on his CV, he is a downgrade on Tuchel and it is understandable if the owners of the other top six Premier League clubs consider Chelsea currently less of a force as a result.

"Giving the manager a prolonged period to get it right is good in theory, but at the very top of the game there is no guarantee that time reaps rewards. There has to be immediate proof a manager has the capacity to thrive at a higher level.

"It is fair enough if the new Chelsea wants to stop regularly sacking managers. To achieve that goal, they must be 100 per cent sure they appoint the right ones," Carragher conclude

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Source: Tribuna