Chelsea spread their legs and cough as Dr. Tottenham prescribes yet more pain for Potter

Tottenham fans expected to cure Chelsea of their problems – at least for 90 minutes. But Graham Potter continues to test the patience of Todd Boehly.

With two wins in 15 games, not a single victory over a current top-half team this season, one goal in 476 minutes and as many points separating them from the top four as the bottom three, Chelsea and Graham Potter must have been grateful that the gods booked them an appointment with the esteemed Dr. Tottenham on Sunday afternoon.

Spurs had not scored a Premier League goal against the Blues since moving into their new stadium in 2019. Antonio Conte was not prowling the touchline against his former club. Their knack for providing remedial relief to struggling clubs, either brief or long-term, is fabled. It was a game supporters would have dreaded if they hadn’t seen this build-up to the predictable punchline before; instead, Tottenham fans seemed to accept what was about to unfold.

Yet the hosts checked Chelsea over and asked them to spread their legs and cough, before sending them packing with an eye-watering bill and no hint of a cure as to their myriad problems.

The Blues hoped to be the ideal patients but it is the patience of Todd Boehly which continues to be tested. The nerve, tolerance and conviction of the Chelsea owner cannot endure many more such performances.

Chelsea have not won any of last 8 @premierleague away games – their worst away run since March 2001#TotChe pic.twitter.com/ewGcHqEl46

— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) February 26, 2023

As admirable as his stance has been with regards to resisting his predecessor’s predilection for P45s, Boehly cannot ignore the raging dumpster fire over which he presides. A refreshing take on owner-to-manager relationships looks more foolish, naive and damaging with each game.

Potter will not walk. Not willingly from comfortably the most prominent position of a brilliant coaching career. He has worked too hard to relinquish this opportunity and will have enough belief in his approach and principles to think this can be salvaged. And perhaps he is right. Maybe a proper pre-season fixes these inherited problems. A manager should never really be judged until he has spent his first £1billion, as they say.

But Boehly will soon come to a crossroads at which he must decide whether or not to go back on his word and end Potter’s misery for him. As on this evidence the manager, for whatever reason, cannot turn this around.

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