John Terry has encouraged Graham Potter to utilise his man management skills and get the Chelsea dressing room onside early in his tenure.
The Englishman took charge at Stamford Bridge in September, replacing Thomas Tuchel to become the first appointment under the new ownership. Potter’s previous job was at Brighton, and questions have been asked about whether the Chelsea hot seat will prove beyond him.
Potter drew his first game in charge in the Champions League against Red Bull Salzburg but secured a late win at Crystal Palace on his first Premier League outing with the Blues on Saturday. Terry excelled at Chelsea under Jose Mourinho, who arrived in 2004 following his European exploits with Porto, which put him on the map as a young manager.
The Special One was renowned for how he connected with his players early in his career – and Terry believes Potter would benefit from doing likewise. He said on beIN Sports: “I think you get them onside by, day one, everyone is going to be watching. That first meeting, the first training session: how does he conduct himself? How does he hold himself? Can he handle this big dressing room?
“And if he’s come in and put his marker down from day one, players go, ‘Ooh hello’. Pretty much like we did when Mourinho came in. No one had really heard of him and then he comes in and goes ‘I’m in charge’. If [Potter] has done a similar thing, both on the pitch and off the pitch, the players will respect that.”
At Chelsea, Potter will be dealing with bigger personalities than those he worked with at Brighton, as he manages individuals who have several club and international honours. Despite that, Terry doesn’t think the Stamford Bridge hot seat is too big of a job for the former Seagulls boss.
The former England defender claimed: “I honestly don’t think it is [beyond him]. I think what he [Potter] did at Brighton was incredible and their position in the league speaks for itself. When you speak to anyone within the training ground or around the place, what he’s done on the field has spoken for itself – the way he plays, the formation.
“But also the way he is with the players, and I think in this day and age, if you’re a young manager, you need to understand the players. And I think these young managers like him understand the players better than anybody and can relate to them.”
Terry has written off Chelsea’s title hopes, however, which would extend their drought for a league title, which dates back to 2017. This season, the Blues are aiming to retain their place in the top four, with competition hotting up for the Champions League spots.
