Chelsea manager Graham Potter accepts criticism is part of the job “you have to deal with” after his team suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League.
On Sunday, Chelsea were beaten 1-0 at home by London rivals Arsenal, which came one week after an embarrassing 4-1 thrashing at Potter's former club Brighton.
Up until that defeat at the Amex Stadium, Potter had been unbeaten since taking over from Thomas Tuchel in September – a run that included home and away victories against Italian champions AC Milan in the Champions League that helped secure their place in the last 16, where they will take on Borussia Dortmund.
But the honeymoon period is over for Potter after Arsenal's victory at Stamford Bridge when Chelsea managed just one shot on target and now they face a League Cup third-round tie at Manchester City on Wednesday.
“I would be lying if I said I didn't expect it at some point. You take this job on and of course there are going to be times when it is not a pleasant road. You have to deal with that,” the Blues coach said in Tuesday's press conference.
“We have had a six-week period when we have played 13 matches, eight of them away. It has a toll, with some injuries to key players. It can get messy, that is part of the process. I have been through it at Brighton, at Swansea and my club in Sweden.
“It is what it is. That is part of what the job is, to deal with it.
“When results were good I was honest enough to say there were things we needed to improve. It's not as if I could say we had cracked football.
Chelsea 0 Arsenal 1: player ratings
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CHELSEA RATINGS: Edouard Mendy 6: Distribution not the best at times but had quiet afternoon until being called into action to save from Jesus just after hour mark with Arsenal’s first shot on target. Let down by defence for goal. Getty -
Cesar Azpilicueta 7: Shown yellow card for winning challenge ahead of Martinelli with studs showing. Solid performance, though, from Spanish defender on day when Chelsea's woeful lack of attacking threat was their main problem. AP -
Trevoh Chalobah 7: Picked up booking for cynical foul on Jesus after error by teammate Cucurella that would have seen Brazilian in on goal. Kept place in team despite Kalidou Koulibaly being on bench and rewarded manager’s faith with good show at the back. EPA -
Thiago Silva 7: Brilliant block on Jesus after Gunners attacker slalomed through the Chelsea defence on 20 minutes. Lost same player soon after, though, and would have been relieved when striker missed headed chance. AP -
Marc Cucurella 6: Intriguing battle with Saka with the pair exchanging fouls throughout the game. Lucky not to be penalised for handball right on edge of box when ball clearly hit his arm but strangely deemed accidental. AP -
Jorginho 6: Italian was not his usual influence in middle of park and his passing not up to usual standards as Chelsea spent much of game chasing Arsenal shadows. AP -
Ruben Loftus-Cheek 5: Struggled to cope with Arsenal’s midfield pressing and failed to supply the incisive passing Chelsea were crying out for. Reuters -
Raheem Sterling 6: Threaded lovely through ball to put Havertz away down wing in first half and tried to offer a bit of attacking impetus but generally frustrating day for the attacker who picked up a late booking for foul on Partey. Reuters -
Mason Mount 5: Strangely anonymous performance from England attacker who barely figured as game passed him by. Reuters -
Kai Havertz 4: Wasted a couple of great opportunities to set up Aubameyang with poor crosses in first half – one went out for throw-in, the other hit weakly straight at Ramsdale. No better after break and was at fault for failing to get anything on Saka’s corner that led to goal. EPA -
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 3: Former Gunner was predictably booed from the off and endeared himself further with early booking for poor late tackle on White. Striker had just four touches of the ball in first half and was no surprise when he was hooked in second half, to the delight of away fans. Reuters -
SUBS: Armando Broja (On for Aubameyang 66’) 5: Offered little more attacking threat than man he replaced. Reuters -
Conor Gallagher (On for Havertz 66’) 5: A yellow card for pulling down Tierney was his main contributuion after coming on. Reuters -
Mateo Kovacic (On for Loftus-Cheek 78’) N/A. EPA -
Christian Pulisic (On for Mount 78’) N/A. AFP -
ARSENAL RATINGS: Aaron Ramsdale 6: Very little to do as Chelsea managed just one shot on target and goalkeeper will certainly have busier days at office. PA -
Ben White 8: Dragged shot wide of target when well placed in 10th minute. Showed impressive determination and timing to beat Chelsea attackers to dangerous Sterling cross with 10 minutes to go. Reuters -
Gabriel 8: Tapped home on goalline to put Arsenal in front from Saka corner. Brazilian was immaculate at the back, helping keep Aubameyang and Havertz very quiet. EPA -
William Saliba 8: Vital stretching interception to prevent Aubameyang getting through on goal. One swing and miss attempted clearance at start of second half almost gifted chance to Aumbameyang but was generally excellent at back for Gunners. AFP -
Oleksandr Zinchenko 6: One magnificently bad foul throw in first half after ball slipped as he went to take it and his distribution was generally below par in first half. Looked a bit rusty on comeback from injury. Reuters -
Thomas Partey 8: Such a key figure for Arsenal in the anchorman role. Strong presence in middle of park and Arsenal dominated midfield areas from start to finish. -
Granit Xhaka 8: In great form for Arsenal and benefits from having Partey alongside him in midfield. Wouldn't be Xhaka without a bit of a ruckus and his exchange of views with Chalobah late on sparked a lively melee between the two sides. EPA -
Martin Odegaard 7: Had glorious chance to make it 2-0 when he cut back on to his left foot, when could have shot earlier with right, and fired shot over bar. Quiet attacking wide by his standards but passing was usual immaculate standard. Reuters -
Bukayo Saka 7: Attacker, making 150th appearance for Gunners, earned himself a first-half booking after frustrated challenge on Cucurella and he enjoyed a lively battle with the Spanish defender. Saka's curling corner set up the goal. AFP -
Gabriel Martinelli 7: In form and always a threat. Whipped shot from edge of box over bar early. Picked out Jesus with perfect cross that teammate should have scored from. Getty -
Gabriel Jesus 7: Brazilian attacker danced his way through Chelsea defence only to be denied by perfect block by countryman Silva. Should have headed Arsenal into lead but failed to connect properly with Martinelli cross and could do with a goal after failing to score since October 1. Reuters -
SUBS: Kieran Tierney (On for Zinchenko 78’) N/A. Getty -
Mohamed Elneny (On for Odegaard 87’) N/A. AFP -
Rob Holding (On for Martinellil 90+3’) N/A. Getty
“Performance-wise we can improve a lot. That is the challenge. We are looking forward to this game, and the game at Newcastle [on Saturday]. That is when you can learn a lot about each other.”
The match on Wednesday will see Raheem Sterling return to the club where he enjoyed a trophy-laden seven-season spell that ended this summer when he moved to Chelsea.
But Sterling's form has been patchy so far this campaign when he has found the net just three times in 12 Premier League appearances. “You can tell by his reaction he is honest,” Potter said of the 27-year-old attacker, who will be a key player in England's attempt to lift the World Cup in Qatar.
“Players go through moments in their career when it isn't so positive and sometimes everything they touch is gold.
“I don't think you can zoom in to the individual. The team is not functioning as I would like. That has an impact on the individuals and Raheem is an individual within the team. The work for us is to try to improve the team and the structures.
“I have no doubts about Raheem's quality – he is a top, top player.”
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Brighton's Leandro Trossard celebrates scoring the first goal in the 4-1 Premier League win against Chelsea at the Amex Stadium on October 29, 2022. PA -
Brighton's Leandro Trossard scores the first goal. PA -
Leandro Trossard celebrates after Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek scores an own goal to put Brighton 2-0 ahead. AFP -
Chelsea manager Graham Potter had a tough afternoon at Brighton. Getty -
Brighton players celebrate after Ruben Loftus-Cheek's own goal made it 3-0. Getty -
Pervis Estupinan celebrates Brighton's third goal. Getty -
Kai Havertz pulls a goal back for Chelsea. Getty -
Chelsea's Kai Havertz scores. AP -
Pascal Gross scores Brighton's fourth goal past Edouard Mendy. Getty -
Thiago Silva of Chelsea reacts after Pascal Gross scored. Getty -
Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi applauds fans after the match. Reuters
