Pep Guardiola tells Chelsea to give Graham Potter time as fans chant for Thomas Tuchel

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has urged Chelsea to give Graham Potter time as pressure mounts on the Blues boss following a sixth defeat in their last nine matches.

Three of those have come against City and Chelsea were well beaten in a 4-0 loss to Guardiola’s side in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.

“We’ve got super Thomas Tuchel, he knows exactly what we need, Thiago [Silva] at the back, Timo [Werner] in attack, Chelsea’s gonna win the Champion League,” the fans chanted during Sunday’s game.

“I would say to Todd Boehly, that it was a pleasure to meet him, so give him time,” Guardiola said. “I know in the big clubs, results are important but I would say give him time.

“So, I think, the second half is what he is. What he has done in Brighton was outstanding. All managers need time, he is right.

“We need time every season. In Barcelona there was a reason because I had [Lionel] Messi there, I didn’t need two seasons: one was enough. To play against City when we are at this level in Carabao Cup or here is not easy for Graham, for Chelsea or for any team.”

And Potter said: “The results in a small space of time aren’t positive. You can make excuses and look for reasons, or you can say that it isn’t good enough and both of those answers are correct.

“Clearly we’re suffering and it’s not nice but it is where we are at the moment.”