Thiago Silva gives honest verdict on Graham Potter

Graham Potter is early in his Chelsea tenure as he manages a host of players who’ve worked under impressive coaches in their career with Thiago Silva asked to make comparisons

Thiago Silva claimed “not enough time has passed” for him to pit Graham Potter against some of his former bosses.

The Chelsea boss only took on the role earlier this season when he replaced Thomas Tuchel. Despite early promise, Potter has endured a difficult start to his tenure. The Blues are very much in a transition period with a huge amount spent on a squad which continues to change.

Silva has worked with some of the game’s top coaches across his spells at AC Milan and PSG – namely Max Allegri and Carlo Ancelotti, as well as Tuchel. At 37 he remains a crucial part of his team’s defence in west London and accepts that every manager has their own methods, but hailed Potter’s individual qualities, which have clearly left a mark.

He told Parimatch : “Not enough time has passed to comment on something so important. I don’t like to make comparisons of people, of styles, of work. Everyone has their own way of doing things. However, in the short time I’ve had with Potter, I can see he is a great person, a great human being.

“On the pitch, he’s a coach that shows you what you have to do and what you’ve been doing wrong. Off the pitch, he’s an amazing human being which I think, when managing a football team, can actually be more important than being a coach. So he has these two aspects to him that I think are very important for someone in his position.”

Potter has won just nine of his 23 games at Chelsea boss, giving him a winning percentage of below 40. His Blues outfit have won just two of their last 13 league games as they face the prospect of missing out on the top four and Champions League football.

Thiago Silva has been impressed with Graham Potter’s personal qualities

Potter, 47, is set to be given time as he looks to find a winning formula with his lavishly assembled squad, that includes British record signing Enzo Fernandez. The Chelsea boss has admitted the club is in a transition period and accepts improvements need to be made in the final third.

He told Sky Sports earlier this year: “It has been intense, challenging, enjoyable. You understand the responsibility and the pressure that is there as the football club has a history of winning. We’ve had a transition period for most of the year and that has an effect.

“We haven’t been happy with how we’ve played, especially in the Premier League, there’s work to do there. We need to attack more, create more chances. We could make excuses because there are reasons, but we have to take responsibility and say we could do better.”