Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Pundit claims Thomas Tuchel on ‘different level’ as some Chelsea stars don’t even rate Graham Potter

Graham Potter on the Chelsea touchline

Former England midfielder Kieron Dyer claims that some Chelsea players do not rate current boss Graham Potter, while he feels former Stamford Bridge chief Thomas Tuchel was on a ‘different level’.

The German was sacked barely a year on from winning the Champions League with the Blues, with the club’s new American owners acting after a third loss of the campaign against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.

A breakdown in the relationship between Tuchel and the club’s hierarchy is believed to have been a key factor in his exit. Indeed, the new owners wanted to bring in their own manager and recruitment team.

And now Dyer has claimed Tuchel’s dismissal was a mistake and states that some Chelsea players feel the same way.

Asked who will miss out on the top four in an interview with True Geordie, Dyer said: “I worry about Chelsea, I really do. We’ve talked about Eddie [Howe] and then you have that elite, world-class player and do they kind of [work together].

“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.

“But they’ve had [both managers] and you cannot compare the two. Knowledge of the game, tactics, the way they are.

“I also know people who have had Tuchel and then they’ve had other top, top coaches and they go, ‘Trust me, Tuchel is f***ing incredible.'”

Potter not a patch on Tuchel

Asked if his source at the club explained why things turned sour for Tuchel, Dyer added: “Do you think the Americans have come in, they’ve started splashing the cash, £60million for full-backs from f***ing Brighton, and he’s [confused]. You just don’t know.

“You’ve got to remember, this is the same Chelsea that absolutely pummelled Tottenham [in a 2-2 draw earlier this season] – I know you can say Tottenham are getting pummelled by most teams.

“They just said Tuchel was on a different planet. And my thing with Potter is, I think Chelsea having problems is because he’s always changing the team. It’s like he’s trying to keep all these superstars happy. It’s impossible to name the XI.

“I can name Newcastle’s team every week, Manchester City’s for the big games. But Chelsea I haven’t got a clue. He’s playing Sterling at wing-back, one minute he’s playing Aubameyang and then he’s on the bench.

“Listen, I was so happy he got his chance but I always worried that when you’ve got those world-class players and they’re not really buying into your beliefs do they just say, ‘Yeah, good one.'”

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