Of course, anyone can say words, and it is always actions that will speak the loudest. However, Graham Potter’s first words as Chelsea’s new boss suit me very well and sound very positive.
I’m going to isolate one thing in particular and explain why below, but you can read all of his words, watch the interviews, and view all of Potter’s images on Chelsea’s website today.
But the section I want to focus on is how he wants his Chelsea players to play. Says Potter: “I want a tactically flexible, attacking, possession-based team. Players who are brave, who are not afraid to make mistakes. That can take the ball and show courage and really try to enjoy their football.”
‘Players who are brave’ is the quote that really resonates with me, as well as players ‘who are not afraid to make mistakes’. Because watching Chelsea play over the last year, that’s the main problem I think we’ve faced, our players aren’t willing to be brave enough with the ball and they’re afraid to give it away and get a public reprimand from Thomas Tuchel.
Whether it was a mindset issue or they simply wanted to avoid a reprimand from the boss, it was clearly a problem. I’m not debating whether it was right or wrong that they didn’t show courage with the ball for fear of losing it and being yelled at, that may be for another day.
But the fact that this has been highlighted by the new boss is very positive for me. This is a guy who seems very intuitive and is an expert in people management, and I think this is an area where he can shine.
A lot of our players are more than capable of hitting those overhead passes or balls, but they just haven’t been willing to try it often enough. If Potter can bring out that side of players more and encourage them to be brave, then that’s a huge plus in my opinion.
