Chelsea manager Graham Potter reveals squad's thoughts on 'worst pre-season' under previous management

Chelsea manager Graham Potter has revealed that several senior players have labeled the pre-season tour as their worst. They believe that it is one of the factors for their poor form.

Chelsea traveled from the west coast to the east coast of the United States last summer and played in three different cities. They played in Las Vegas, Charlotte, and Orlando and managed just one win in the pre-season.

Speaking to the media ahead of the crucial match against Tottenham Hotspur on February 26, Potter admitted that players complained about the pre-season. He believes that the previous management should have taken more care and said:

"It's really tough. (I said) it's the toughest job in football a few weeks ago. There's a lot of factors for that. Again, if you take the season, a sub-optimal pre-season. Speaking to a couple of the experienced guys, they thought it was the worst pre-season they've had for different reasons."

He added:

"That's not to blame anybody. That happened. I don't want to speak about that (the reasons). Organisationally, the tour didn't work as well as it would like. I wasn't there so I can't say."

Potter is under pressure from fans getting just two wins in his last 15 matches across competitions. The manager admits that he cannot say anything to get the fans behind him and only results can change their minds. He continued:

"I wouldn't say anything. I'm not here to convince them. My actions and the team have to convince them. We've got to win football matches. There's nothing I can say."

The Blues are 10th in the Premier League table, 11 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham with a game in hand.

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Thomas Tuchel also complained about Chelsea's pre-season

Former manager Thomas Tuchel was also vocal about Chelsea's pre-season when he was in charge at the club. He believed that the energy levels dropped among the players as they were traveling a lot and also because of the weather conditions.

He said:

"(We) could feel the energy level drop after Las Vegas and after the Charlotte game because of the amount of travelling, very humidity, and very hot temperature. It made it tough because it's now been two weeks on the road."

Chelsea sacked Tuchel earlier this season and he remains without a club.