Graham Potter predicts 'pain & suffering' before Chelsea improvement

Graham Potter believes Chelsea will have to go through a "process of pain" before things improve at the club.

Potter left Brighton for Chelsea earlier this season and suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of his former side at the weekend, bringing an end to a nine-game unbeaten run which also included draws against Brentford and Red Bull Salzburg.

Despite the shocking result, Potter insisted he does not see the loss to Brighton as a disaster but warned fans that there will be more pain and suffering for the team before things get considerably better.

“I think it’s a case of analysing the game, being calm, being fair. It’s not necessarily about the players, it’s about all of us including myself, how we can improve, what we can do better," he said after the game. "It’s not a disgrace to lose here.

“You could see the opponent was very motivated and they have some really good players. We got off to a bad start and it was not a pleasant afternoon for us. But you have to have that sometimes if you want to make progress.

“If you think the line is going to go straight up, it’s impossible. That team you see out there for Brighton wasn’t the team that was there three years ago. There is a process of pain you have to go through and you have to keep trying to improve.”

In Potter's eyes, it's not possible to make progress without occasionally suffering.

“Whatever you learn, whenever you’re trying to master something or trying to get better at it, you need to sometimes have a bit of step back, you need to suffer or go through a bad experience to then grow and be better. That’s how I see it anyway," he added.