Potter admits need for improvement after embarrassing defeat against Chelsea puts his job under further duress.
‘I have to do better’: Potter admits he’s under pressure after Chelsea defeat.
After West Ham’s terrible season-opening 5-1 loss to Chelsea at the London Stadium, Graham Potter acknowledged that he needs to get better.
Potter, who is frantically trying to bolster his faltering team before the transfer window closes, did not duck the problem after his team delivered yet another dismal performance in their debut match, losing 3-0 to Sunderland. Since taking over at West Ham in January, the former Chelsea manager hasn’t had much of an impact, and there is mounting discontent behind the scenes.
“You are under pressure all the time in these jobs,” Potter said. “In this situation, that is how it is. I know the territory, I know what comes with poor results and I accept that responsibility. It was too easy to score against us so I take my responsibility and I have to do better. That is the case with all the players. They are honest and want to do more than they are at the moment.”
In their first two games, West Ham has given up eight goals. Although Potter has reprimanded his players for not doing the fundamentals, he has maintained that he has not noticed a lack of effort.
“I don’t want to say it’s a lack of fight, I know the players care and are desperate to do well,” he said. “I know they want to do better than we are. Sometimes in football and life you hit a patch and no doubt about it, it has been a tough week. We have had a smash on the nose.”
Potter declined to comment on whether a relegation battle is imminent, despite the fact that he has accumulated fewer points (nine) from his first ten Premier League home games than any other manager in West Ham’s history. The team hopes to bolster their midfield by acquiring Soungoutou Magassa of Monaco.
Chelsea, on the other hand, were pleased with their response to Cole Palmer’s groin injury during the warm-up. Despite falling behind early, they were motivated by Estêvão Willian’s spectacular complete debut.
“We conceded because of him, he lost the ball in the buildup, so he needs to make mistakes to learn,” Enzo Maresca said. “The performance was very good. That showed how good he is and the reason why he’s here with us.” Maresca added that Palmer has been dealing with a groin problem since last week.