Graham Potter rounds on pundits as Chelsea continue Bellingham chase

Graham Potter has said pundits who criticised him for not getting angry at Chelsea not being given a penalty during their draw with West Ham “don’t know anything about anything”.

Chelsea’s head coach delivered his rebuke before his side’s Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund, whose key midfielder Jude Bellingham remains a summer target for the club.

Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole and Danny Murphy expressed surprise that Potter delivered a measured response after the officials decided not to act when West Ham’s Tomas Soucek appeared to handle a shot from Conor Gallagher.

However the Chelsea manager, who denied suggestions of a rift between Mykhaylo Mudryk and Marc Cucurella, hit back at the former professionals and argued that he had a responsibility not to contribute to abuse of referees.

“I try to be careful not to get into these discussions through the media,” Potter said. “Of course I get angry. I am a human being, just like you. I just choose to conduct myself in a way that I think is right on the side [of the pitch]. The same media talk about wanting me to be more angry but then run stories about problems in grassroots football and don’t see the connection.

“That’s not to say that we don’t all lose our temper, because we do. It’s an emotional thing. At the same time, I think I have a responsibility to myself, Chelsea and the game to act in a responsible way for me. For me, not anyone else; for me.

“If you think you can start a coaching career, not in the Premier League, but Northern Counties Division One and get to this point now, as the Chelsea manager in the Champions League, without getting angry or through always being nice, I would suggest you don’t know anything about anything.”

César Azpilicuta, Chelsea’s