Graham Potter was sacked as Chelsea boss on Sunday after just 31 games in charge of the Blues and less than seven months after replacing Thomas Tuchel.
So why did Chelsea sack Potter after previously claiming they will stick with the former Brighton boss?
“Following the Southampton defeat, Chelsea’s owners wanted a demonstration of progress and remained supportive of their head coach, but Potter’s decisions ultimately made that position impossible and his own position practically untenable,” a report on The Telegraph revealed.
“Like the decision to not only start Hakim Ziyech against Tottenham Hotspur, but then leave him on the pitch for the start of the second half after the winger had done his best to get sent off.
“Coupled with the fact that, a goal down, defensive midfielder Denis Zakaria was sent on with just under half-an-hour of the game to go, serious questions started to be raised about Potter’s ability to get the big calls right in the aftermath of the Tottenham defeat.”
The Telegraph also added that players inside the dressing room were becoming “angry” at some decisions, with former Brighton boss Potter considered to be “out of his depth”, while big selection calls – such as keeping faith with big-money January signing Mykhailo Mudryk while keeping Mason Mount on the bench – raised alarm bells.
The Chelsea board were reportedly disappointed with his decision to play Reece James as a centre-back against Aston Villa and play Ruben Loftus-Cheek at right wing-back. Potter opted to play Kalidou Koulibaly alongside two full-backs James and Marc Cucurella while leaving Benoit Badiashile and Trevoh Chalobah on the bench.
The Telegraph added: “A top-four place and Champions League qualification was never the be-all and end-all for Boehly and Eghbali during what was always considered a transitional season.
“But seeing Chelsea in the bottom half of the Premier League table was viewed as unacceptable and there could no longer be any argument made for the fact that progress was being made or might be around the corner.”
Been waiting for this good news since February y’all ????????