Reece James gives verdict on Graham Potter after Tottenham defeat
By Tom Gott
Chelsea defender Reece James has thrown his support behind under-fire manager Graham Potter after Sunday's disappointing 2-0 defeat to Tottenham.
Calls from fans for Potter to be sacked have grown in recent weeks following a run of just two wins in 15 games across all competitions which has seen them tumble out of the top-four race and left them closer to the relegation zone than the Champions League spots.
Chelsea have been eliminated from both domestic cup competitions and fell 1-0 to Borussia Dortmund in the recently first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.
Potter's position is under immense pressure but, after the Tottenham defeat, James urged fans to stick by the boss.
“We’re all on the same page, we’re sticking together and that’s a big positive," he told beIN SPORTS. "[Potter] is in a similar position to us players. We’re the ones out there on the pitch performing, so just as much stick he gets the players are playing as well, we’re in it together.
“Everyone has seen how good of a manager he is. That showed when he was at Brighton and they were in and around top four. His ability is definitely not questionable.
“[And] it’s not like we’re not trying, we’re giving it our all but results are simply not going our way at the moment. It’s not like the players are sacking it, or anything like this, we’re working hard, it’s just results are not falling our way at the moment.
“Nothing happens overnight. We don’t just wake up tomorrow and we’re out of the situation we’re in, it’s going to take weeks and months to get to where we’re meant to be.”
Potter himself recently compared his struggles to the likes of Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp, highlighting the importance of sticking by a manager if results are not immediately as impressive as fans would like.
Those same disgruntled supporters were quick to point out that, on the same day Potter made that point, Erik ten Hag won his first trophy as Manchester United manager, eight months after he took over the club.