He’s a very calm person, and if he wants you to do something on the pitch, he takes responsibility if it goes wrong. What he’ll bring to Chelsea is exactly that. Tactically, he’s incredible at making sure when you step onto the pitch, everyone knows what they’re doing. Of course, that doesn’t mean Potter will stick with a 3-4-2-1 at Chelsea, but regardless of the formation, the fundamentals remain the same – defend as a team, focus on shape, build from the back, press a lot and commit players forward.
Indeed, the latter was signed as a winger, but also played as a number 10, a false nine, a central midfielder and more recently as a hybrid wing-back/inside forward, a position he thrived in.
He likes to use players who are comfortable in a number of different positions, like Pascal Gross (£6.0m), Alexis Mac Allister (£5.6m), Solly March (£5.0m) and Leandro Trossard (£6.5m). However, since the backend of last season, he has favoured a possession-based and fluid 3-4-2-1 (see below), which is a similar shape to Tuchel’s Chelsea. When I was a football player, I would love to play in this team.” – Pep Guardiola on Graham Potter’s BrightonĪt Brighton, Graham Potter would regularly change systems, shifting from back four to back three formations depending on the opponent. As a spectator, I like to watch these teams. “We were in front of the best English manager right now. Still, the owners kept faith and were rewarded in 2021/22, when Brighton finished ninth, the club’s highest-ever Premier League finish.Ģ022/23 began with a first-ever win at Old Trafford, while last week’s 5-2 win over Leicester City lifted Brighton to fourth, which is even more impressive given that they sold two of their best players – Marc Cucurella (£5.2m) and Yves Bissouma (£4.8m) – in the summer. However, it took a while to implement his ideas and philosophy, with 15th and 16th place finishes in his first two seasons at the club. That was enough to earn a move to Brighton in 2019, who had recently dismissed Chris Hughton. They also reached the FA Cup quarter-finals, where they suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat to reigning Premier League champions Manchester City. Although he could only guide them to a 10th-place finish in the Championship, his time in Wales was largely deemed a success, as he rebuilt a new, youthful side who hit their stride in the second half of the campaign. In 2018, Potter took over at Swansea City following their relegation from the Premier League.
It’s some difference to where we were a few years ago.” – Graham Potter “When I started, we got attendances of 500 – now we’re playing in front of 30,000 at Hammarby and beating Gothenburg, who have competed in the Champions League before.
The latter feat was especially impressive, given that they progressed from a group that included Athletic Bilbao and Hertha Berlin. Having come through the ranks at Birmingham City, Graham Potter went on to represent 12 different clubs across a 13-year playing career, including Stoke City, Southampton and West Bromwich Albion.Ī few years after retiring, he began his coaching journey in Sweden with Ostersund’s, leading them from the fourth division to the top-flight, as well as winning the Swedish Cup and reaching the knock-out stages of the UEFA Europa League.