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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Jonathan Gorrie

Kai Havertz issues stirring defence of Graham Potter after big Chelsea win - ‘We are 100 percent behind him’

Kai Havertz admits he “can’t believe” the criticism Graham Potter has endured during his time in charge of Chelsea.

The former Brighton boss has struggled since replacing the popular Thomas Tuchel in September and has been the subject of abuse from sections of the Blues support.

Still, Potter enjoyed his finest night in charge of the club yet on Tuesday after his side turned their Champions League tie with Borussia Dortmund around.

Havertz’s retaken penalty after VAR drama followed up Raheem Sterling’s first-half goal to send the west London giants through to the last eight 2-1 on aggregate.

Chelsea had also beaten Leeds on Saturday as Potter’s team start to show signs of getting back on track.

January saw six new players signed, while the club have also had to deal with a lengthy injury list. Slowly but surely, however, that situation looks to be improving.

Of his manager, Havertz told reporters on Tuesday night: “We know the pressure is on him. In the media I can’t believe how many people talk about him.

“We have hundreds of coaches in England who think they know better than him.

“We know in the changing room he’s a big personality, big manager, he helps us all a lot. Me included. We are 100 per cent behind him. Even though the people may not see it, now today everybody saw that he is a big manager.”

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