Pressure on Chelsea boss Graham Potter as players claim Thomas Tuchel ‘on a different planet’, Kieron Dyer reveals
CHELSEA’S players rate Thomas Tuchel much higher than current boss Graham Potter, according to former England player Kieron Dyer.
Potter, 47, took over from Tuchel in September after the Blues‘ 1-0 Champions League defeat to Dinamo Zagreb.
The ex-Brighton head coach started life at Stamford Bridge with a nine-game unbeaten run.
But their form then collapsed before the World Cup break as they lost three successive Premier League matches to Brighton, Arsenal and Newcastle.
It leaves them eighth in the table after 14 matches, with pressure already mounting on Potter.
And former Newcastle man Dyer has claimed some of the Chelsea squad do not feel their new boss is at the same level as Tuchel.
Speaking on True Geordie’s YouTube channel, he said: “I’m so happy that Potter got his chance, so happy because he deserved it.
“But then I’m thinking you do not sack Tuchel for Graham Potter. That’s just my opinion.
“I’ve spoken to people who have had Tuchel as a coach and they’ve had Potter as a coach, obviously I’m not going to name names.
“They are just like, you cannot compare the two. Knowledge of the game, tactics, just the way they are.
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“I also know people who have had Tuchel and then they’ve had other top, top managers and they go, ‘Trust me, Tuchel is f***ing incredible.’
“I watched the game where he went crazy with the handshake – they absolutely pummelled Tottenham – I know you can say Tottenham are getting pummelled by most of the big boys.
“They just said Tuchel was on a different planet.”
Dyer then went on to criticise Potter for switching his team around so much from game to game.
He added: “I think Chelsea [are] having problems because he’s always changing the team, it’s like he’s trying to keep all these superstars happy. All of them.
“It’s impossible to name the eleven. I can name Newcastle’s team every week, Manchester City’s for the big games. But Chelsea, I haven’t got a clue who is playing.
“He’s playing [Raheem] Sterling at wing-back, one minute he’s playing [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang and then he’s on the bench for the next two games.
“Listen, I was so happy he got his chance but I always worried that when you’ve got world class players and they’re not really buying into your beliefs do they just say, ‘Yeah, good one’.”