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Graham Potter has defended Chelsea's performance after their 1-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie at Signal Iduna Park. He, however, did admit that he was disappointed in the manner in which they conceded.
Chelsea have now gone nine games in all competitions without a win. Despite spending over $300 million in the winter transfer window, the results haven't changed. The Blues' struggle to convert possession and shots into goals will be worrying co-owner Todd Boehly and manager Potter. The last time they scored more than two goals in a match was in October 2022.
It was the same story against Borussia Dortmund. Despite boasting more possession (53% to 47%) and having more shots on target (8 to 2), Chelsea failed to find the back of the net as they lost 1-0 thanks to a Karim Adeyemi's goal on the counter-attack in the 63rd minute. The West London side came close with Joao Felix hitting the bar and Enzo Fernandez at the death, but the home side held strong to take the win.
In the post-match press conference, Potter expressed his disappointment with the way Chelsea conceded the goal, saying:
“It’s a poor goal and we have to do better. We were pushing at the time and were the better team. So to concede in that manner is what we’re disappointed with. The players are honest and they know they can do better with that. We have to help them, of course, but we will focus on the positives.
When asked about what Chelsea didn't do well enough, he added:
“It was a counter-attack and sometimes things can happen so quickly, you anticipate getting the ball and they nick it away and are making run and we’re left short. So I have to look at it back and see what we can do. It’s that final bit of detail and sometimes when you feel comfortable in the game, you’re never comfortable at this level."
Chelsea will now have to make a comeback in the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 at Stamford Bridge on March 7.
Chelsea boss Graham Potter gives his thoughts on his team's performance against Borussia Dortmund
Following Chelsea's 1-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund, Graham Potter, in the same interview, was asked what he thought of the team's overall performance. He replied:
“Overall we were pleased with the performance for big parts of the game. It’s complicated away from him in the Champions League, in a hostile environment, against a team that is in a good moment. So I thought it was an even first half, managed the game quite well, had some chances to counter, and hit the bar.
He added:
"Second half, apart from the one decisive action where we didn’t do well enough, we were the dominant team and created some good chances. With a little bit of luck and final execution, we would have got the deserved goal. It is what it is, we just have to keep going. It’s half time, it’s a tight game, and we’ll look forward to Stamford Bridge."
