Mikel Arteta's Message to Under Fire Graham Potter Amid Chelsea Woes

• Graham Potter namedropped Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp in his post-match presser after defeat to Tottenham
• The defeat to Spurs was the third on the spin for Chelsea, whose manager is coming under increasing pressure
• Arteta later sympathised with Potter, saying he knew exactly what the ex-Brighton manager was going through

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta said he understood what Graham Potter is currently going through at Chelsea as calls to sack the former Brighton & Hove Albion boss intensify.

The Englishman had nowhere to hide once again as the Blues succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on February 26.

In the wake of that defeat, an interesting petition was launched to have Potter sacked and up to 45,000 irate fans have signed it, according to The Mirror.

Defeat in the London derby was Chelsea’s 10th in 17 games under the ex-Seagulls boss, who still believes he is the man for the job at Stamford Bridge.

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In his post-match press conference, Potter interestingly used Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp as examples of coaches who had a difficult first few months - years even - with Arsenal and Liverpool respectively before turning the club’s fortunes around.

Arteta’s take on Potter's situation

Ahead of Arsenal’s interesting Premier League encounter with Everton, Arteta spoke on Potter’s situation where he sympathised with the Englishman.

"...We are colleagues and we all know the pressure and the demands and the uncertainty that this industry has," he said.

"At the end of the day, the ball has to go into that net, and there are many factors that can prevent that that are out of your control, so I fully empathise because you suffer and you know how it is when you are going through those moments."

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Not only has Potter had to deal with torrid results on the pitch, he also recently revealed his family had been subjected to death threats.

Arteta felt sorry for the Chelsea coach, but did not want to reveal whether he had been a victim of similar threats when his Arsenal side was struggling three years ago.

"You can have difficulties and challenges in your job, which we do especially when you lose, but when you are winning as well because this job is so demanding, but you cannot destroy your life because of that," Arteta added.

Meanwhile, the Gunners will go five points clear at the top of the table with a win over Sean Dyche’s Everton, who are battling relegation.

Is Aubameyang surplus to requirements?

Sports Brief also reported on why Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be surplus to requirements at Chelsea, struggling to get minutes under Potter.

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So far, the French-Gabonese player has only managed to feature in 11 English Premier League matches for the Blues and has scored just one goal.

Most players who wore the No.9 shirt at Stamford Bridge lasted just one season because the manager and fans did not give them a second chance.