Pep Guardiola’s Man City are through to the FA Cup fourth-round (Photo by Matt McNulty – Manchester City/Manchester City FC via Getty Images)
Pep Guardiola says Graham Potter deserves more time after Chelsea were humiliatingly knocked out of the FA Cup third-round by Manchester City.
City thrashed Chelsea 4-0 at the Etihad on Sunday, courtesy of goals from Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden.
They game was all over after 38 minutes when the Citizens scored their third, with the Blues looking completely and utterly out of their depth, managing just three shots, one on target, in the whole match.
Chelsea have just one win in seven now, and have lost to City three times in the space of just two months by a combined scoreline of 7-0.
Fans made their voices heard throughout the match, calling for the under pressure Potter to be sacked and replaced with former manager Thomas Tuchel, as well as the return of ex-owner Roman Abramovich.
But Guardiola has rushed to his opponents’ aid and urged Chelsea not to pull the trigger on the English manager.
‘He’s right, he’s right,’ the City boss said in his post-match press conference when questioned about Potter asking for more time.
Chelsea fans chanted for Graham Potter’s sacking during their FA Cup exit (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
‘Give him time. I know at big clubs results are important but give him time.
‘What he did at Brighton was outstanding, but all the managers need time he is right. In Barcelona I didn’t need two seasons because I had [Lionel] Messi there.’
Guardiola infamously didn’t win a single piece of silverware in his first season at City, the first time he had ever finished a campaign trophyless, before winning the Premier League the following year with a record 100 points.
As he rightly points out, Brighton finished 15th and 16th in Potter’s first two seasons in charge, though they put in good performances, before finishing ninth in his third and final full season.
As for City, they advance to the fourth-round of the FA Cup where they will host either League One side Oxford or Premier League title rivals Arsenal.
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Man City thrashed Chelsea 4-0 in the cup.
