Joe Cole has praised struggling Chelsea boss Graham Potter for sticking to his “principles” despite the club’s woeful run of form.
Potter replaced Thomas Tuchel last September after Todd Boehly decided to go forward with a new head coach.
After a decent start to life as Blues boss, Potter is now the second-favourite behind West Ham’s David Moyes to be the next Premier League manager sacked.
Chelsea have only won two of their last 14 league encounters and have failed to score more than one goal in a game since the 2-0 win over Bournemouth on December 27.
It is no surprise to see the former Brighton boss come under criticism, especially considering the amount of money Chelsea spent in the winter transfer window.
It is believed that the club’s hierarchy are willing to give Potter time to lead the rebuild following the Roman Abramovich era, however.
And former Blues winger Joe Cole has jumped to the defence of the 47-year-old.
Cole actually criticised Potter for not losing his head after his side were denied a stonewall penalty against West Ham, begging the question: does Graham Potter ever get angry?
Potter was asked about this in a pre-match press conference and his response really impressed the former England international.
Writing for The Telegraph, Cole said: “When Tomas Soucek was not penalised for his handball against Chelsea the weekend before last, I asked the question on television why Graham Potter had not gone on the attack with the referee, Var – the whole thing – as we have seen managers do so many times before.
“When Potter was asked about his reaction the following week, he said that it was just not how he wanted to behave. He was not going to change just because results were not going his way.
“That caught my attention. I admired it.
“Potter has shown he has some principles when it comes to referees – and it is easy to do that when you are winning. But the real test of how firmly you believe in them comes when things are going badly.”
Cole admits he sees things “differently” to fans who were upset after the home loss to 20th-placed Southampton.
The BT Sport pundit believes injuries are playing a huge part and is giving Potter the benefit of the doubt for leading the rebuild during a season, not over the course of a summer.
“Potter is wrestling with so many issues around this team,” he added. “He is dealing with injuries and not just those who are absent, but those who are coming back. There would have…
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