Chelsea head coach Graham Potter said he spoke to the club’s co-owner Todd Boehly after their “special” Champions League round of 16 second-leg win over Borussia Dortmund.
Potter, 47, has been under pressure at Chelsea after poor form saw them win just once in 11 matches in January and February.
But Chelsea bounced back with a 1-0 win over Leeds United on Saturday and followed that up with a memorable 2-0 win over Dortmund at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. That result was enough to see them through to the Champions League quarter-finals, having lost the first leg in Germany 1-0 a few weeks ago.
When asked if he had spoken to Boehly, Potter – who was filmed being congratulated by the co-owner in the tunnel after the match – replied: “Yes, I have. He is always there.
” I am really happy. Fantastic atmosphere, fantastic evening. The players and supporters were great. We had to be against a team that has 10 rebound wins. It was a special evening. »
Potter has faced boos from fans after poor recent results – including the 1-0 home loss to then-20th-placed Southampton on February 18 – but appears to hold no hard feelings.
“I think the fans have been really fair to us,” added the former Brighton & Hove Albion manager. “The fans care, so when the results are not what they want, they feel pain.
“They need to articulate that pain somehow, to get rid of it. They really supported me, really. They stayed with the team and helped us on the pitch.
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Potter was asked about the character displayed by his Chelsea players against Dortmund, who had won 10 games in a row to start their 2023.
“It’s not just tonight,” Potter said. “We had a difficult period. We had to fight back against Leeds.
“We played a good game against Dortmund away but we lost. We had a bad first half against Southampton and then it can quickly escalate into another unpleasant situation. We had to stick together and players did.
Chelsea are still 10th in the Premier League and nine points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, despite having played one game less than their north London rivals.
Potter’s side return to the Premier League on Saturday when they travel to Leicester City.
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(Photo: Getty Images)