Chelsea coach Graham Potter has been making waves lately, and the reason has left everyone baulking.
Having dealt with his share of mean-spirited jokes regarding his appearance when he was in Brighton, the now 47-year-old had even acknowledged those takes, saying that nobody named “Graham Potter” was going to reap awards for being glamorous or exotic.
Over the years, though, he has updated his stylistic preferences, and on the first night of the Champions League, the gaffer has charmed his way into the internet’s graces, with his sharp suit and a fade for a haircut.
On the 14th of September, the dapper gentleman looked absolutely impeccable for his first match in charge of Chelsea.
He has garnered praise on the internet, with most fans reacting with positive incredulity and light-hearted humour.
One tweet, saying, “He got a drop fade, beard lineup and a suit I have never seen him act like this before,” gathered a whopping 16.6k likes, with most replies agreeing and anticipating the moves of the new coach, with this suave transformation signalling some determination and interesting techniques for some.
One fan tweeted, “I know I haven’t just seen Graham Potter with a skin fade. We’re winning every trophy possible.”
The new head coach, however, did not escape from criticism either, post Chelsea’s draw with Salzburg, with some stating that the fade had been in vain.
One user tweeted, “Graham Potter got a fade for the first time in his life for a draw with RB Salzburg”, while another said, “Graham Potter got his first fade and thought he could compete with the top dogs on the big stage.”
After the match and the draw that followed, Potter said to the press, “They gave everything. We’ve only got a point, and we’re disappointed with that, but I was very proud of how they acted today, it’s not been easy for them either with the change of coach and everything that comes with that, but their response has been brilliant.”
“They’ve acted really, really well: professional, honest, responsible … So from an effort perspective, it was 100% there. Quality to get there often was good against a good opponent. We have to credit them for how they defended and how they created chances to attack us.”
“But we managed it quite well for the period of the game, and as I said, their goalkeeper made some good saves, and we just lacked that little bit to get the second goal.”
While everything was going alright in the beginning, he was quickly seen to be faced with challenges.
Salzburg had different plans. It was a fight for cohesiveness and clarity as Potter shaped his players in new ways, and then the sucker punch would come.
Thiago Silva was praised by the home crowd and served as an example of how to defend while maintaining composure until he made mistakes.
In the end, Potter was left in frustration, not with the players, who he insists are extremely diligent and responsible. What happens next? Well, only Chelsea’s further performance can define.
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