Joe Cole argues why 'stoic' Graham Potter deserves more time at Chelsea

"Friends of mine who were at the Southampton game said the same about the mood at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. I see it differently.

"Potter is wrestling with so many issues around this team. He is dealing with injuries and not just those who are absent, but those who are coming back.

"There would have been a time when a manager would have felt there was no choice but to throw Reece James and Thiago Silva into that Southampton game.

"Potter took the long-term view. Their game time needs managing and by taking the decision to leave them out he paid a bigger price than he would have anticipated. Chelsea had the players to win that game, but in the Premier League there is always the possibility you might lose.

"He is building a team while trying to compete in the intensity of the season, integrate new signings, rehab the injured, and develop a playing style at the same time. That is not easy.

"When you factor in other aspects – like the players who can see their time coming to an end at the club, or those like N’Golo Kante, who just cannot seem to get fit – the problem just gets worse.

"Potter has been stoic about it – no blaming his players, or the referees, or anyone else. You have to suppose that Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, the principals of the consortium in charge, will admire that. Potter came into a team that was not in a good place, with injuries, and it has proved as difficult as most people expected.

"Potter is trying to build something completely different," Cole added. "Sometimes a manager comes in, throws it all together and it works fine. It can make you look like a genius but is it that, or is there a major slice of luck to it?

"He has not had the rub of the green with injuries, and yet all anyone will point to is the huge transfer spend and how that should guarantee an instantaneous change. Yet he was also left with players who really should have left and will not be happy still to be there.

"None of it is easy at a club that got used to winning with a culture of ruthlessness when it comes to changing the manager. In the end it comes down to what you believe in.

"Do the owners believe in their judgment? Do the fans believe that stability is possible? It is hard when things are going so badly. But Potter has shown that even when the clouds are really dark, he sticks to what he believes."

Even though Potter's job at Chelsea is not in immediate danger - at least, that's what reports in the media suggest - the pressure is undeniably growing on the manager after a string of poor results.

On Sunday, the Blues will be hosted by Tottenham, and this fixture could be a major factor in determining Potter's future.