Chelsea players’ last pre-season was the ‘WORST’ of their careers, says Graham Potter

Chelsea players experienced ‘the worst pre-season’ of their careers under Thomas Tuchel last season, Graham Potter has claimed.

 The Blues embarked on a disastrous tour of America last July that saw them lose on penalties to MLS side Charlotte before being thrashed 4-0 by Arsenal.

Tuchel questioned the players’ commitment in a rant after the Gunners loss, and was out of a job months later despite winning the Champions League in 2021.

Potter mentioned the controversial tour as he spoke ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Tottenham on Sunday.

‘Speaking to a few of the experienced guys, they said it was the worst pre-season they’ve had, ‘ he said. ‘Organisationally, the tour didn’t work as well as they’d like. I wasn’t there so I can’t say.’

Reflecting on Chelsea’s loss to bottom-place Southampton last week, Potter added: ‘We thought we made progress, but the first half against Southampton was below par. 

‘If you lose 1-0 at home to Southampton, who are bottom of the league, you expect fans to voice their criticism. Results haven’t been good enough, 1-0 defeat to Southampton isn’t good enough, they are entitled to be angry.’

 Despite Tuchel’s disastrous pre-season, Chelsea were sixth in the league when he left the club in September.

After a solid start under Potter, the Blues have gone on a disastrous run of form and won just two of their last 14 across all competitions.

 They face an inconsistent Spurs side on Sunday, but Antonio Conte’s men did secure an important three points against West Ham on Sunday.

Looking forward to the game, the Chelsea boss said they needed ‘a strong performance. We need three points. It’s a game we’re looking forward too. Training and response been really good. 

‘We’ve spoken about it with individuals and as a group as to how to attack against Tottenham. They are a team that don’t give much away, defend deep, we’ll have to think about that.’