Mikel Arteta, manager of Arsenal, said he understood what Graham Potter is going through at Chelsea right now as pressure to fire the former Brighton & Hove Albion manager grows. The Englishman once more had nowhere to run as the Blues fell to Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 on February 26.
Following that loss, an intriguing petition to fire Potter was started, and according to The Mirror, up to 45,000 enraged fans have signed it. The ex-Seagulls manager, who still thinks he is the right person for the job at Stamford Bridge, lost Chelsea for the 10th time in 17 games during the London derby.
Potter interestingly cited Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp as examples of coaches who had a positive impact on players in his post-game press conference.
Arteta spoke on Potter’s situation where he sympathised with the Englishman. “…We are colleagues and we all know the pressure and the demands and the uncertainty that this industry has,” he said. “At the end of the day, the ball has to go into that net, and there are many factors that can prevent that that are out of your control, so I fully empathise because you suffer and you know how it is when you are going through those moments”.
Not only has Potter had to deal with torrid results on the pitch, he also recently revealed his family had been subjected to death threats. Arteta felt sorry for the Chelsea coach, but did not want to reveal whether he had been a victim of similar threats when his Arsenal side was struggling three years ago.
“You can have difficulties and challenges in your job, which we do especially when you lose, but when you are winning as well because this job is so demanding, but you cannot destroy your life because of that,” Arteta added.
Meanwhile, the Gunners will go five points clear at the top of the table with a win over Sean Dyche’s Everton, who are battling relegation.
Aubameyang surplus to requirements? Sports Brief also reported on why Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be surplus to requirements at Chelsea, struggling to get minutes under Potter.
So far, the French-Gabonese player has only managed to feature in 11 English Premier League matches for the Blues and has scored just one goal. Most players who wore the No.9 shirt at Stamford Bridge lasted just one season because the manager and fans did not give them a second chance.