Chelsea wants on five matches unbeaten run in the Premier League under Graham Potter, conceding only two goals and recording three consecutive clean sheets before defeat to Brighton.
The blues have earned two points in their last four Premier League, losing back-to-back to Premier League leaders Arsenal and Graham Potter’s form team Brighton. Chelsea also scored two goals in those matches.
Graham Potter’s side risky recording their third consecutive Premier League defeat against Newcastle before the World Cup break., the first since November 2015 under Jose Mourinho.
Chelsea manager Graham Potter has revealed the injury to certain key players and the defeat to Brighton affected their momentum.
What did Graham Potter say is the reason for Chelsea’s recent poor form?
Asked to pinpoint what has been the cause of Chelsea’s poor form in the Premier League, Graham Potter said at a press conference: “Not pinpoint to the point that there is a simple solution. We played Milan on either side of Wolves and won 3-0, 3-0, and 2-0, but then Reece got injured, and he is a key player for us. We lacked a bit of stability in terms of the right solution and lost Wesley at that time as well.
“We went from NG [N’Golo Kante] being close to being involved and then all of a sudden, a blow with him. We performed well against Salzburg and got a result there when they hadn’t lost for 40 matches or something, so that was a good performance from us. We suffered in the first 20 minutes at Brighton, and the first half was uncomfortable for us. That has probably knocked us back a little bit.
“I don’t think so, but any result makes it more difficult for you. It’s more the balance of all the matches and understanding the combination of injuries, injury prevention, and load. Rotation is ultimately the enemy of stability and building a structure. But in this period, it’s been necessary. But in this schedule, there’s been no other way.”
Meanwhile, Graham Potter has revealed his plans for the team during the World Cup break.
He said: “We’ll have a few days’ breaks.
“There are only about three or four players left. Then we will reconvene, do a bit of training, and off to a warm-weather camp and a couple of games to prepare for the restart.
“We have to use it for what it is,’ he continued. ‘It’s an opportunity.
‘We have to take stock of the time we’ve had. It’s 13 weeks in six weeks, eight away from home. It’s been incredibly intense and we’ve learned a lot. We have to take that time to reflect and come back stronger.
“It’d be stupid not to use that time to do that, to rejuvenate, to recover, to reflect, to improve. There will be loads of things that will enter the head as you reflect.
“There’s more to come from the group we have. We can do better than we have from a performance perspective, and that’s where our focus is on.”