Manager Graham Porter revealed that he had an emergency meeting with four veteran players.
Chelsea will face Fulham in the 7th round of the English Premier League (EPL) in the 2022-23 season, which will be held at Craven Cottage in London, England at 5 am (Korean time) on the 13th. Chelsea are currently 10th with 25 points and Fulham are 7th with 28 points.
Chelsea are in transition this season. Ahead of the season, owner Roman Abramovich stepped down, and Todd Boelli took over as new owner. There was also a manager change during the season. Chelsea sacked manager Thomas Tuchel in September last year and brought in new manager Porter.
However, the director change effect is not being seen at all. Chelsea recorded 4 wins, 3 draws and 4 losses in 11 EPL matches played since Porter’s appointment. Including all competitions, the record of 8 wins, 3 draws and 5 losses (50% win rate) is not worthy of the name Chelsea.
The biggest problem is the injury of the main players. Chelsea have been sidelined since the start of the season with injuries to N’Golo Kante, Reese James and Wesley Popana. In addition, after the World Cup break, key players such as Armando Broya, Raheem Sterling, Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Edouard Mendy were injured.
In the end, director Porter also intuited the crisis. Manager Porter attended a pre-press conference the day before the match against Fulham on the 12th. Director Porter said, “I had a long conversation with Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic.”
He said that he had discussed the current problems and improvement plans with the four veterans. “They were honest and expressed their concerns well. They articulated their positivity and responsibility. I think we’re in a place where we can move forward,” Porter said.
Manager Porter announced that he had also held talks with Boelli’s owner. “I’ve had regular conversations with the owners, and they’ve been really supportive and fantastic. We talk regularly two or three times a week,” he said.