Jamie Carragher has said Graham Potter is wrong to compare his early struggles to Mikel Arteta, or other tacticians that took time to adjust to newer surrounding such as Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp.
It seems like several fans and pundits alike seem to agree with Carragher, as Potter, unlike Arteta specifically has failed to show glimpses of his style of play at Chelsea so far.
It seems to be going from bad to worse for the former Brighton boss, as the Blues succumbed to a 2-1 defeat to Fulham on Thursday night.
While Arteta, referred to as a ‘genius’ by Kieran Tierney (via GOAL) was appointed at a different stage of the season than Potter, he eventually managed to lift the FA Cup.
And while he was at it, a rather mediocre Arsenal side managed to overcome the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea to win the competition.
While Graham Potter and his Chelsea side have faced Man City in both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, they have lost both encounters with an aggregate score of 6-0.
As the £106,000-a-week man’s start to life at Stamford Bridge has made for grim reading, Carragher explained why he simply cannot compare his struggles to those of Arteta.
Jamie Carragher says Graham Potter is wrong to compare his struggles at Chelsea to those of Mikel Arteta at Arsenal and others
In his column for the Telegraph, Jamie Carragher has said that Graham Potter is wrong to compare his difficulties at Chelsea to those of Mikel Arteta and other managers.
“It’s understandable when a coach pleads for time, but attempts to compare [Graham] Potter’s early work with that of [Pep] Guardiola at City, [Mikel] Arteta at Arsenal and [Jurgen] Klopp at Liverpool are wrong.”
“There are already clear differences. Klopp and Arteta enjoyed big football moments which earned them instant credit.”
“Arteta beat Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea, won the FA Cup and then the Community Shield months after his appointment.”
“Despite the inevitable pressure, the signs were there for those analysing closely enough.”
Carragher elaborated, “There was never a sense of the Arsenal board having blind faith in Arteta. It was a case of rebuilding to ensure consistency followed.”
“For any comparison with Arteta to be credible, whether applied to Potter or anyone who decides to name drop their early work in England in a future press conference, we must see the same levels against high calibre sides.”
“But comparing Chelsea’s situation with Arsenal’s in December 2019 also ignores that while the Roman Abramovich era might be over, the policy of being one of the Premier League’s biggest spenders is not.”
Ultimately, whether one agrees or disagrees, Jamie Carragher seems to have made his point clear that comparisons between the struggles endured by Graham Potter and Mikel Arteta should not be a topic of conversation.
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