Chelsea legend Joe Cole has urged fans to back manager Graham Potter after another disappointing result for the club.
The Blues lost 2-1 to Fulham on Thursday night after their new star forward Joao Felix was shown a red card on debut following a poor challenge on Kenny Tete.
Cole said: “He needs time. We saw a little bit of frustration from the fans creeping in today, they’ve just got to understand that there’s been so much change.
“I believe we have seen enough little sparks from Chelsea tonight. There’s enough to believe that results will turn.
“The club had been so stable in its own unique way over the last 20 years in its own way, and then you come in and you’re changing things behind the scenes, changing recruitment as you’ve got new owners, and I think Graham Potter has acquitted himself very well.
“He’s honest, what else you can do other than keep doing what you’re doing, keep believing in the players.”
Cole also pointed out that Potter has had terrible luck with the club’s long injury list, which includes the likes of Raheem Sterling, N’Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy and Reece James.
“That list of players injured, that is a top team. He has a whole team that would finish comfortably in the top six of the Premier League out injured. So you have to keep going. The fans should stick with him, should stick with the players.
“There’s a big opportunity for the characters, the Mason Mount’s the Thiago Silvas, the Jorginhos, the Kantes – it’s a big opportunity for this big hitters to get in there, tomorrow morning.
“They’ve got a difficult game at the weekend against Crystal Palace, an energetic, good side at Stamford Bridge, get everyone in there and you almost want a siege mentality. I believe we have seen enough little sparks from Chelsea in there. There’s enough to believe that results will turn.
“The manager and the team will be better for having gone through this tough period. They have to keep going.”
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