Chelsea manager Graham Potter prepares to take on Antonio Conte‘s Tottenham club on Sunday, having received some management advice from the Italian in the past.
Potter is under enormous pressure after a very poor start to life as leader of The Blues, struggling for goals and results while they are 10th in the Premier League.
They face a tough afternoon in the north London on Sunday as they try to get back to winning ways, but the fourth-placed Spurs will have no intention of helping their capital rivals.
However, Conte has tried to help Potter in the past, when the Englishman was Brighton manager and the Spurs boss spoke some wise words.
Potter recalls their past interactions and the admiration he had for the Tottenham manager, who also led Chelsea to Premier League glory long before the former Seagulls boss arrived at Stamford Bridge.
‘[The advice] was about doing your best today and not necessarily thinking too much about the future or the past. It was something that was on his WhatsApp message,” Potter said.
“It was when they beat us [Brighton]. He didn’t send one when we won. I spoke to him in Brighton and we’ve had conversations – and kept in touch from a distance.
“He’s someone I’ve really admired as a coach and when you meet him he’s a gentleman. He has the passion, but has always been good to me.
Antonio has had a great career. I have a lot of respect for him as a coach – and as a man I really like him too.’
The two managers will not face each other physically on Sunday, as Conte is still recovering from gallbladder surgery and Cristian Stellini will return to the sidelines.
The form suggests Tottenham should be a firm favorite for this game, but they haven’t beaten Chelsea in the Premier League since 2018, with six defeats and two draws in their last eight league games.
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