Chelsea have been hit with injuries, with five of their key players — Reece James, Armando Broja, N'golo Kante, Ben Chilwell and Wesley Fofana — sidelined for the next one to months. But their manager Graham Potter refuses to use these injuries as an excuse for the issues that the team has faced this season.
"Our job now is to try and get as many people back as we can. It's been a really tough period. As challenging as it's been, I'll say in my time as a coach. But we're Chelsea and people don't want to hear those reasons as excuses. You've got to get on with it and you've got to try your best to find the answers," Potter said while speaking to the media ahead of their match against Nottingham Forest on January 1.
Chelsea were bought by a consortium led by American businessman Todd Boehly. Under his ownership, the side have brought in some of the best talents in the game. This season is no different.
Ahead of the new transfer window, Chelsea have already brought in three new players — David Fofana from Swedish club Molde, Andrey Santos from Brazilian outfit Vasco da Gama, and their statement signing Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig — as the Blues hope to turn around their season in the second half of the campaign.
"We want to keep improving. That's the simple answer. We've had a challenging, I would say challenging. Some ups and downs in terms of the previous year, which is normal, I think, in any football club. We want to try and stabilise and we want to try and improve and make our supporters happy," Potter said.
"You always have to be wary in the Premier League. You can't say on the one hand it's the greatest league in the world and then think there are easy games. There aren't. I think (Nottingham) Forest got a fantastic result against Liverpool before the break. I have huge respect for Steve Cooper and the job that he's done there. It's tremendous. A fantastic coach" said Potter.
Chelsea take on Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on January 1.
