Chelsea are finally looking more like a side crafted in Graham Potter’s image

I t may sound funny, but Chelsea should not worry about their Premier League points tally for the rest of the season. Instead, they need to use this time to make sure they are ready to hit the ground running in August.

Graham Potter was appointed Chelsea manager in September and it has taken time to instil his culture and philosophy, but we are starting to see the green shoots. Football is a demanding environment and people want overnight success, but whenever a manager comes in he needs to learn about the players and vice versa.

Chelsea recruited heavily in the summer and January windows. Getting these players to settle in a new city and culture is hard. When a person starts a new job, they are not to speed immediately; they have to learn how they fit into the role and what those around them do. They will not settle until they fully understand the office dynamics. This also happens in football.

In addition to the new coaching staff and players, Chelsea have made changes in the medical department. This level of upheaval is not straightforward to deal with and allowing things to settle is important for the long-term health of the team and the club structure. Potter has also had a number of players out injured, losing Armando Broja, Édouard Mendy, César Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Reece James and N’Golo Kanté, which does not help attempts to form a cohesive unit.

Focusing on the Champions League is the best idea for Chelsea because it is all they have to play for. Encouragingly for them, they are finally producing consistent performances and Potter is relying on a core group who understand his methods. In Chelsea’s three wins last week, against Leeds, Borussia Dortmund and Leicester, eight players started every match and