‘If you win, you can be who you want to be!’: Graham Potter insists only winning matters after Chelsea’s Champions League quarter-final draw with Real Madrid… while Blues boss praises ‘authentic’ Carlo Ancelotti
- Graham Potter has welcomed the challenge of meeting Real Madrid in Europe
- The Blues will meet the Spanish giants in the quarter-finals of the Champions League
- Potter heaped praise on Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti ahead of their meeting
Graham Potter insists it’s all about winning and not how you are after getting a head-to-head duel in the Champions League with fellow mild-mannered boss Carlo Ancelotti.
Hours after he set out his desire to conquer Europe with an expletive including statement, Chelsea and Potter were linked to meet holders Real Madrid in next month’s quarter-finals, the two sides facing each other in the competition for the third consecutive season.
Chelsea could then take on Manchester City in an all-English semi-final – and what a repeat of the final won by the Londoners in Porto in 2021 – if Pep Guardiola’s current side can pass his former Bayern Munich in the final eight.
At a hospitality event for Chelsea members on Thursday night, Potter said on stage in a clip that went viral: “We will try to beat Everton [in the Premier League today]take the draw and then we will try to win the f****** Champions League.’
After that draw yesterday in Nyon, Potter said with a smile: ‘I said we’d try *beep* to win the Champions League! That’s the same for every seven clubs.
Graham Potter has insisted Chelsea will ‘try to win the f****** Champions League’
The Blues played a draw against the reigning national champions of the competition, Real Madrid, on Friday
“They will also say that they can lose in the quarter-finals, because that is the nature of the Champions League. We will focus on Real Madrid when we get there. At the moment it’s Everton.’
The feeling is excitement, but like I said I prefer to talk about Everton because that’s what it is [next] The other stuff is far away.’
With his understated approach occasionally questioned and compared to more outspoken, animated and sometimes provocative Chelsea managers of the past, Potter’s rallying cry on stage went down well with supporters.
But when asked about Ancelotti – a six-time European Cup/Champions League winner as a player and manager – and his calm, collected demeanor, Potter said: ‘I can’t be bothered to talk about how people think you would must be. .’
Carlo Ancelotti should be him, Pep Guardiola should be him and Jurgen should be him and I should be me. I don’t care what you think my reaction to that is.
“The simple thing is if you win you can be who you want to be and if you lose someone else wants and that’s the reality.
‘You just have to be yourself, be authentic. Otherwise, the situation will find out if you try to act. He’s been himself throughout his career and has done extremely well.
‘I don’t know him personally. I played against him when he was coach at Everton. He’s a gentleman.
“I can’t say anything about how much he has achieved in his career. It is awesome. The time between his first and last Champions League wins – 20 years – is unbelievable.’
Potter was full of praise for Madrid coach and former Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti
Chelsea beat Madrid in the semi-finals on their way to victory in 2021, but the Spaniards retaliated last season with a dramatic 5-4 win in the quarter-finals.
City and Bayern last met in the competition in the 2014/15 group stage. Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann said: “If you end up winning the title, nobody can accuse you of the luck of the draw.
“It was PSG [in the last-16], then it would be Manchester City, then maybe Real or Chelsea and then in the final a Portuguese or Italian team. It would be a triumph with high value, great mentality and quality.”
AC Milan were drawn against Napoli in an all-Italian quarter-final and Inter Milan and Benfica clashed in the other last eight draws with the winners of each meeting in the other semi-final in May.
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