Potter on West Ham's 2-1 loss at Chelsea

Potter on West Ham's 2-1 loss at Chelsea  04/02/2025  Stamford Bridge, London, UK

Transcript

00:00I thought it was a really positive performance from our perspective. We had a good understanding

00:28of how we wanted to defend and how we wanted to attack. We probably could have done better

00:32ourselves with the ball, but in terms of the game and the plan, I think we restricted Chelsea

00:39to not too many chances. Possession, but not too many chances. We feel a little bit unlucky

00:46with the first goal. We thought it was a foul from their defender on Gerrard, but at that

00:53moment, I think if we'd have held out a little bit longer, we could have maybe sustained

00:59something in the game. Obviously, they had to make a lot of substitutions, which tells

01:03you that the performance for us was good. At the end, we had a really big chance with

01:09Mo to equalise. So, really positive. I think you can see the reaction of our supporters

01:15at the end, the spirit of the team, the application of the team, what we tried was there, but

01:21it wasn't meant to be.

01:22You mentioned the foul on Bolling and Alvarez in that first goal. Was Scherforsen not being

01:27enough to get that correct?

01:30I haven't seen that back. It took that long, but it must have been tight. Like I said,

01:35we thought there was a foul leading up to it, but you get these things sometimes.

01:38In terms of positives, Alvarez's first start to the club, was Scherforsen how he played to it?

01:43Yes, really good. He's earned his chance, he's earned his opportunity because he's trained

01:47really well. Obviously, to lose Alvarez so late wasn't ideal for us, and without Paqueta

01:53as well, and Fulcrug, and Tadejbo, and Antonio, and Somerville. So, those names there, you

02:00can tell that we're stretched. But in terms of the players that we have and what they

02:04gave, really, really happy.

02:06Graham, you've managed to get Kevin in tonight. How close do you think he is to, I think he

02:11came off the bench, how close to be able to make a real impact?

02:14Well, we have to assess that. I think he's had a few weeks off. So, I think he played 20 minutes

02:20or so at the weekend. So, we just need to make sure. We've got some time now until the next

02:24game, so we'll help him in training. But obviously, that's our challenge now to make sure that

02:28he's fit, to make sure that he's healthy and enjoying his football, because then he's a talent.

02:35You've been thrown in, obviously, in the middle of the window as well. How pleased are you with what you've done in getting him in?

02:42No, I'm happy. Like I said, the players that we've got out at the moment are significant

02:47for us. So, if we get those back, which we will hopefully soon, that makes a difference

02:52to us. And then to get the two characters that we did, Evan and James, I think they'll

02:56help the team, help the group, improve training every day. So, no, I'm positive.

03:01Is bringing Warcraft back something you wanted to do from the day you came in?

03:07Yes, it was something we were aware of. Obviously, it's always a bit meandering in the window,

03:14but as a professional, as a character, as a man of experience, he's top. So, we're looking

03:20forward to working with him.