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Mikel Arteta warns Graham Potter: ‘Club backing only lasts so long – I was saved by results’
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has warned under-fire Chelsea manager Graham Potter that owner backing is limited and that winning is essential to escape sacking.
Fans are putting increasing pressure on the Blues’ owners to sack Potter, who has only won nine of the 26 games he has managed since being recruited in September of last year. Potter has continued to have the support of the Chelsea hierarchy, even likening Arteta’s early setbacks at Arsenal.
As Arsenal dropped their first three Premier League games of the previous campaign, there were calls for the Spaniard to be fired.
According to Arteta, he requested the owners of the club’s backing at the time, but he was aware that only success would be able to change the situation.
“With me [the board] were really supportive, but at the end you have to win football matches because you know that if the run continues that it is unsustainable,” he said.
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“I knew I had to win against Norwich and win against Burnley, and then everything helps and the environment starts to get better, everybody is more confident and you can keep going. We depend on results, unfortunately.
“I always just focused on how to turn things around, how to make the team play better, to be more efficient, get players back because we had 11 players out of the squad in that period so we needed players back as quick as possible as well.
“When you have a close relationship with managers which I had – in Spain, some in Italy, some here – of course you get in touch, sometimes they give you support like we all do when someone is going through a difficult [period]. Maybe not on the phone, but just at least a nice text of support.”