03 April 2023 , 07:02
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Graham Potter's sacking at Chelsea had been coming in recent weeks and it was some questionable decisions during the recent defeat at Tottenham that had alarm bells ringing for Todd Boehly.
The former Brighton boss only moved to Stamford Bridge in September but has already been relieved of his duties following the latest setback, which came as Aston Villa secured victory in west London on Saturday night. It was Potter's 11th reverse in his 31 games.
Chelsea have steadily slipped down the Premier League table and, whilst a top four spot wasn't a necessity for the hierarchy, enough has proven enough. A loss in a London derby at Tottenham five weeks ago was a tough blow, but Potter's conduct helped seal his fate.
The north Londoners, who were by no means in good form themselves, secured a 2-0 win on their own patch. Hakim Ziyech was handed a start for Chelsea, just weeks after he'd been pushing for a deadline day move to PSG. The Moroccan then seemingly did his best to get sent-off during the first-half.
Potter opted to leave the forward on as the teams came out for the second-half, raising several eyebrows. Then, with Chelsea trailing and looking to get back into the contest, Potter opted to bring on a defensive midfielder in Denis Zakaria which, according to the Telegraph, raised questions about his ability to get the major decisions right.
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That trend continued into his final outing when he chose to name two wing-backs as part of his back three with Reece James and Marc Cucurella either side of Kalidou Koulibaly - despite having the likes of Benoit Badiashile and Trevoh Chalobah available. It meant Ruben Loftus-Cheek had to fill in on the right flank, where James would often play, but was largely ineffective.
Chelsea's loss at Tottenham highlighted Graham Potter's poor decision making (Getty Images)Potter did, throughout his tenure, have to try and piece together a lavishly assembled squad that, in the eyes of some, included players who were signed without any clear direction or philosophy. Boehly has spent over £600m on new players during his first two windows.
Several of those have failed to live up to expectation, including Ukrainian Mykhaylo Mudryk, who cost just shy of £90m. Other big money purchases like Cucurella, Raheem Sterling and Welsey Fofana have also been unable to deliver as hoped, albeit injury has played a part.
Attention will now turn to who will replace Potter amid a potential managerial battle with rivals Tottenham also looking to fill their own vacancy. Julian Nagelsmann and Mauricio Pochettino are seemingly candidates for both roles and it may depend on who acts quickest with both men out of a job and looking for work