"Give him time and he will do well" - Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola offers Chelsea advice over Graham Potter

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has offered Chelsea advice over newly appointed boss Graham Potter. The Spanish head coach has urged the Blues to give Potter the necessary time to establish himself and bring success to the club.

Chelsea hired Potter as head coach from Brighton & Hove Albion a few games into the 2022-23 Premier League season after sacking former manager Thomas Tuchel.

The Englishman has recently come under criticism after a poor run of games. Chelsea suffered back-to-back defeats in the English top flight. The Blues lost 4-1 against Potter's former outfit Brighton on 29 October and 1-0 against Arsenal in the subsequent fixture, which took place over the weekend (6 November).

Despite Potter's recent woes, Guardiola remains convinced of the English boss' abilities as a tactician and insists that he is one of the best managers in the league.

Ahead of the Blues' Carabao Cup clash against Manchester City, Guardiola said (via 90min):

“If Chelsea accept my humble advice, give him time and he will do well. They got good results but the way they play, when I saw the game against Brighton that they lost, I saw many things I remember from his period in Brighton. But he needs time, everybody needs time."

“No one has success from day one or two, I have a lot of admiration for his work. What he did at Brighton was beyond exceptional and I’m pretty sure with time he will do a good job, I don’t have any doubts. He is one of the best managers from my point of view, we have in this league.”

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola comments on Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling returning to the Etihad in Carabao Cup clash

The Manchester City boss insists that Raheem Sterling deserves a good reception when Chelsea make their trip to the Etihad for the Carabao Cup clash between the two outfits today (9 November)

When asked whether Sterling would get a warm welcome from City fans, Guardiola said (per the club's official website).

“I definitely hope so. I always like the clubs when they welcome the guys who have been here many years and have been key figures and had an important role in our team in all these years. Maybe you forget what happened in the last month, that is not the reality of what happened over a period of six, seven years when he was here."

"He deserves it of course and he’s more than welcome [back]. When the game starts, we want to beat them, but of course, he has to get a good reception. Everyone in England appreciates that.”

Sterling joined Chelsea from Manchester City in the summer transfer window for £47.5 million. The England international spent an extensive and successful career with the Cityzens that spanned over seven years.

During his time at Manchester City, Sterling recorded 131 goals and 95 assists in 339 appearances across all competitions. The Englishman won four Premier League titles, one FA Cup, and five League Cups with the Cityzens.