Graham Potter referred to as on Chelsea to point out a united entrance after defeat away to native rivals Fulham heaped stress on his place and left the Blues on their worst run of league type since 1996.
Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat at Craven Cottage, which included a crimson card on debut for Joao Felix and an damage to Denis Zakaria, means Potter’s facet have taken simply six factors from their previous 9 Premier League video games. They sit tenth within the desk, 10 factors off fourth-placed Manchester United who’ve a sport in hand.
“We are struggling in the meanwhile. We’re struggling, the followers are struggling. We really feel for them,” stated Potter. “It’s necessary to stay collectively and attempt to get by way of this powerful interval.”
Highlights from the Premier League match between Fulham and Chelsea
Chelsea crashed out of the third spherical of the FA Cup on Sunday with a 4-0 thrashing at Manchester City, who additionally ended their Carabao Cup hopes earlier than Christmas. With such an enormous hole to the highest 4, it appears the Champions League is their solely hope of success this season.
For Potter, Thursday was one other irritating night, with Felix’s encouraging debut minimize brief by his sending off, an damage checklist prolonged to 10 gamers, and defensive errors costing his facet important factors.
Chelsea’s XI of absentees
Edouard Mendy (shoulder)
Reece James (knee)
Wesley Fofana (knee)
Ben Chilwell (hamstring)
N’Golo Kante (thigh)
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (ankle)
Denis Zakaria (unknown)
Raheem Sterling (hamstring)
Christian Pulisic (ankle)
Armando Broja (knee)
Joao Felix (suspension)
“It’s actually irritating, extremely difficult,” stated Potter of the state of affairs. “I really feel for the supporters.
“We’re upset to lose tonight. I felt it was a comparatively even sport within the first half, we had a few possibilities. But I feel the fundamentals we will perform a little bit higher, when it comes to our defending and soccer actions.
“We get again within the sport and the crimson card is the place we’re at in the meanwhile, when it comes to issues that may occur to us [do happen to us].
“To lose Joao for 3 matches is absolutely disappointing. Joao is a younger participant, a prime participant, you possibly can see his high quality and there wasn’t any malice [in the tackle] however the ref has a call to make. He’ll study from it.
“More than something incredible from the opponent, it was extra our fundamental actions the place we now have to do higher.”
Which Premier League video games might Felix now miss?
January 15 – Chelsea vs Crystal Palace, kick-off 2pm
January 21 – Liverpool vs Chelsea, kick-off 12.30pm
February 3 – Chelsea vs Fulham, kick-off 8pm – dwell on Sky Sports
Felix might return for West Ham vs Chelsea on February 11, kick-off 12.30pm
Speaking to BT Sport, Potter stated about Felix’s crimson card: “It was a ahead’s deal with, there was no malice in it however I perceive why it was a crimson. It is one other blow, the hits maintain coming in the meanwhile.
“He was actually good, you might see his high quality within the sport, so it’s doubly disappointing for us.”
With Felix suspended, the place do Chelsea’s targets come from now?
Sky Sports’ Peter Smith at Craven Cottage:
After simply quarter-hour, Chelsea’s travelling supporters had been singing Joao Felix’s identify. He had tempted two Fulham gamers into yellow-card fouls, nutmegged Tim Ream to tee up Kai Havertz for likelihood and seen a number of good openings come his manner.
It was the sort of spark Chelsea and Graham Potter had desperately been trying to find in assault. Before Thursday they’d managed to attain simply 3 times of their final seven matches. Felix seemed to be the reply to their issues. The participant to offer creativity, craft and actual high quality within the remaining third.
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Felix had an encouraging Premier League debut earlier than his crimson card
But earlier than the hour mark – like so many issues for Potter and Chelsea proper now – it had gone badly mistaken. Felix’s lunge at Kenny Tete was hardly essentially the most vicious problem however along with his studs up and by connecting along with his opponent’s shin, there was solely going to be one final result.
Felix had appeared set to seize the headlines along with his first-half show – however it was his rash second within the second which would be the lasting reminiscence of his debut. He now misses three of his remaining 20 Premier League video games of his mortgage spell. An costly foul, certainly.
But it additionally throws up the query of how Potter will get his assault firing once more for the matches with Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Fulham, which Felix will miss.
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Kai Havertz struggled at Craven Cottage together with a lot of the Chelsea ahead line
His choices are restricted. Havertz was as soon as once more wasteful at Craven Cottage, dropping his battle with Bernd Leno emphatically. Raheem Sterling continues to be recovering from damage. David Datro Fofana has solely simply arrived from Molde. And as for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, he wasn’t even used off the bench with Chelsea in determined want of a objective. That felt like a telling determination from Potter, who sub-subbed the striker within the earlier Premier League sport.
Chelsea are the bottom scorers within the prime half by a way, so how do they fireplace their manner out of this dreadful run of type? It’s a significant query which wants answering earlier than Sunday.
At the again: Chelsea crumble below the slightest of stress
Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz:
The frustration for under-fire supervisor Potter is that Thursday evening’s defeat at Fulham was completely Chelsea’s doing.
The Blues began brilliantly at Craven Cottage with Felix trying to be the reply to Chelsea’s creativity points by popping up neatly within the midfield holes and carrying the ball ahead with aptitude.
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Chelsea’s defence crumbled even below the slightest of pressures
In the primary 20 minutes, Chelsea had created eight respectable possibilities and restricted Fulham to scraps. While the Blues weren’t in entrance, it appeared like there was progress in every week the place Potter had “trustworthy conversations” along with his squad.
Then all of it fell aside on the again. Trevoh Chalobah’s poor contact out of the again began a list of errors. That mistake led to Bobby Decordova-Reid hitting the bar however then got here the stress. Minutes later, Lewis Hall was responsible for the same mistake and Willian put Fulham in entrance. All that arduous early operating went down the drain and after trying so comfy, Chelsea had been clinging on for half-time.
The similar could possibly be stated for Felix’s crimson card. Chelsea had hauled themselves again into the sport after the break and had been on prime, trying to full the comeback. Suddenly, the one second of insanity led to the sport operating away from Chelsea once more.
Following his facet’s 2-1 defeat to Fulham, Chelsea head coach Graham Potter says the lack of Joao Felix for 3 video games following a crimson card is ‘actually disappointing’
Potter should be inspired by his particular person skill to arrange a workforce able to performing, solely to see frustration in his younger, injury-ridden facet disintegrate as quickly because the stress is cranked up.
With one other London derby with Crystal Palace awaiting the Blues on Sunday, the Chelsea supervisor is aware of {that a} good begin to calm the nerves is required, not only for his gamers however the followers too.
But in the event that they lose that one…
