It's been a frantic start to the new season for Chelsea on and off the pitch.
After being taken over by Todd Boehly's consortium and Clearlake Capital back in May, there was a 'fresh start' feeling at Chelsea and every supporter was looking forward to a new era at the club. Many thought that would be under Thomas Tuchel, but the owners had a different view.
Tuchel was dismissed by the club two weeks ago, with Boehly and co. believing they did not share the same vision as the former head coach. The club's new-look board had someone else in mind – Graham Potter.
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At the time, Potter was in charge down on the south coast at Brighton & Hove Albion. Potter had done a fantastic job at the Amex Stadium, where he managed to make the Seagulls one of the most impressive teams to watch in the Premier League. His work didn't go unnoticed.
It's been a strange start for Potter at Chelsea. Despite being appointed a fortnight ago, the new head coach has only taken charge of one game (1-1 draw with Red Bull Salzburg). The day of his appointment coincided with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's passing and the Premier League called off its round of fixtures that weekend.
Then, Chelsea were supposed to welcome Liverpool to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, but the match was also postponed due to the Queen's funeral being on Monday. It's now a two-week international break, where the majority of Potter's new squad will be jetting off around the world to represent their respective countries.
For Potter and his squad, it's now expected to be a season of transition as he looks to mark his stamp on his new players. However, it shouldn't mean Chelsea's standards or expectations drop beneath what they were.
The Blues wanted to close the gap to the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City this season and that has to remain the aim. A top four finish, first and foremost, should be Chelsea's priority and former right-back Glen Johnson thinks his old team have more than enough quality to achieve another Champions League finish.
"The title race certainly isn't over already but in reality I believe Chelsea would bite your arm off to get into the top four by the time the season finished," Johnson said to bettingodds.com. "I don't think they will compete for the title this season but I do expect them to be good enough to get into the top four."
In Potter's unveiling press conference that took place last week, the new Chelsea head coach was asked what success would look like this season. He refused to look too far ahead of the upcoming game (the match with Salzburg) but did mention that he wants to be competing at the top.
"Well, all my thoughts are on tomorrow night, so that's the first thing," Potter said. "We need to compete here. That's how it is. We have to compete, and as I said earlier, I have respect for the Premier League for the Champions League for the competitions we are in, but we're Chelsea. There are no guarantees.
"Resources alone aren't enough, as we know. It's about connecting with our supporters, about them recognising their team and what we're trying to do, working every day at Cobham, getting that understanding of how we want to play football, but success is to see improvement and be competing to win."
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