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Chelsea meet Fulham in their first game after sacking Thomas Tuchel

September 12, 2022

How long will Graham Potter’s tenure at Chelsea last?

It’s worth asking that question after the Blues sacked Thomas Tuchel following a Champions League loss to Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday. Potter, the Brighton & Hove Albion manager, is reportedly set to take over following Tuchel’s sacking.

Tuchel was less than two years at Tottenham. And that’s quite a long tenure by current Chelsea standards. Since Claudio Ranieri was manager from September 2000 to May 2004, the club has had 13 different permanent managers in 18 seasons. That includes two stints by Jose Mourinho and not the tenures of Guus Hiddink interim manager and current interim manager Anthony Barry.

Potter comes over from Brighton after his team had one of the best starts in the Premier League. Brighton’s recruitment has been solid throughout his tenure and the team recently sold full-back Marc Cucurella to Chelsea for over $50m after Cucurella played for just one season with the team.

Thomas Tuchel was sacked on Wednesday and Chelsea are reportedly set to hire Brighton’s Graham Potter. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Chelsea’s search for a manager had to move quickly. The Blues open the Premier League weekend against Fulham in Saturday’s early kick-off. Fulham have been solid after being promoted from the Championship and have picked up eight points from six games while sitting 10th in the standings. Chelsea are just two points clear of Fulham in sixth place.

It will probably take a few games for Potter to put his stamp on the team and get them to play the way he wants. But it shouldn’t take much longer. While Chelsea’s previous managerial changes in the 2000s have all been under previous owner Roman Abramovich, new owner Todd Boehly has shown he is willing to make quick changes too. Whether or not he’ll fire quickly like Abramovich remains to be seen. But the desire for success at Chelsea and the team’s off-season transfer spending likely means Potter won’t have a much longer leash than any of the managers who have come before him.

Here’s what you need to know to bet on this weekend’s EPL listing. All odds are from BetMGM.

Fulham vs Chelsea (over/under 2.5 goals)

Fulham (+300)
Chelsea (-120)
tie (+290)

It’s tempting to bet on Fulham here but we tend to go with the over and stay away from the game result.

Liverpool vs Wolves (3.5)

Liverpool (-350)
Wolves (+875)
Tie (+450)

Wolves have struggled to score all season and we can envision either a 1-0 win for Liverpool or a 5-0 win. We’re taking Liverpool to recover from Wednesday’s defeat by Napoli.

Southampton vs Brentford (2.5)

Southampton (+130)
Brentford (+195)
Tie (+250)

Both teams are solidly in the middle of the table and a draw seems to be the right result here.

Leicester City vs Aston Villa (2.5)

Leicester (+145)
Aston Mansion (+180)
tie (+240)

These two teams occupy two of the bottom four spots in the league, while Leicester sit bottom with just a single point from their first six games. We’ll go over 2.5 goals and not be surprised if Brendan Rodgers’ tenure ends if Villa wins that game.

Bournemouth v Brighton & Hove (2.5)

Bournemouth (+360)
Brighton (-125)
Tie (+250)

Bournemouth are experiencing the jump of interim manager following the sacking of Scott Parker, while Brighton are suddenly a club in turmoil. Despite Potter’s departure, we will carry on with Brighton despite these chances.

Manchester City vs Tottenham (3.5)

City (-275)
Tottenham (+650)
tie (+425)

This feels like a game where City will have 70% of possession while Tottenham try to frustrate Pep Guardiola’s side with a compact and organized defence. We will go with under 3.5 goals.

Arsenal v Everton (2.5)

Armory (-300)
Everton (+775)
tie (+425)

Arsenal suffered their first defeat of the season against Manchester United last weekend. Everton, meanwhile, haven’t won yet. The toffees won’t win here either. Arsenal is the choice.

West Ham vs Newcastle (2.5)

West Ham (+135)
Newcastle (+190)
tie (+240)

Both teams have only had one win so far, but Newcastle sit 11th and West Ham 18th because Newcastle have four draws against West Ham. We’re going to go here with the tie.