Sky Sports’ Paul Merson described Chelsea as “disgusting” after their 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City.
In his latest column, Merce believed the Blues had “surrendered” once they were behind and criticized the “crazy” decision to leave Enzo Fernandes out for the defeat, following comments about his future.
Sunday’s defeat leaves Chelsea in sixth place, four points off the top five, with fifth place good enough to qualify for the Champions League.
Merson said Liam Rosenior is under “intense pressure” ahead of Saturday’s Premier League home game against Manchester United.
Read on for The Magic Man’s thoughts on Chelsea’s situation, Tottenham’s relegation crisis and Newcastle manager Eddie Howe’s future…
‘Chelsea is fed up with the pressure’
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Free to watch: Premier League highlights of Chelsea vs. Manchester City
“If they don’t qualify for the Champions League, that’s a big problem, but if you think about it at the moment they’ll be sweating for a full-stop appearance in Europe. They have to play in the Champions League, but for me yesterday (against Man City) was disgusting. I’m asking the question ‘why’.”
“In your brain, why would you suspend Enzo Fernandes for two games? He’s the best ball-runner, he’s the most creative player, so why cut off his nose to hurt his face? And it’s not the FA that’s suspending him, it’s the club. It’s crazy at the highest level. Yesterday they were screaming for him and they couldn’t get out.
“Moises Caicedo is a great holding midfielder, but you can’t ask him for that role. It’s not his game. It’s foreign to him. He’s one of the best number sixes in the world, but he needs Enzo to get on the ball.”
“Chelsea are losing badly, they’ve been 3-0 three times. It’s not good at the moment. Who banned Enzo? Was it the manager or was it a directive from above? They should use some common sense and say, ‘We need all the best players.’
“It’s a tough job. People have doubts about the manager. The last thing you want to do is tell your best player he can’t play in an important game. That’s madness. Common sense doesn’t always apply, you know?”
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Gary Neville questions where Chelsea’s leadership comes from and demands more is done to help manager Liam Rosenior
“I think Rosenior has started well and done well, but when Chelsea play against the big boys they get crushed. The big teams they play always lose. He’s under intense pressure to win next week (against Man Utd). It’s an important game.”
“Chelsea are not ready to win the league, there are no league champions and when they are behind they succumb.
“If they can get into the Champions League and win the FA Cup, it’s a good season. You only become a great manager when you have experience, so he needs time. If he gets into the top five, that’s at least something.”
Spurs’ match against Brighton is ‘a cup final of cup finals for them’
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Free to watch: Premier League highlights of Sunderland vs. Tottenham Hotspur
“I watched Tottenham’s defeat at Sunderland and I didn’t see anything. I didn’t see anything. But it was a game where they needed to go all the way to 0-0 and they just couldn’t do that. I don’t think a draw is enough now and it’s unlucky at the end, but they look very lacking in confidence.
“Spurs have some good players, but if you look at Sunderland, you see the style of play, the pattern, they know what they’re doing. I felt like Tottenham were very lacking in confidence. They were waiting for something to happen. In the end they might fall at something, but the players have to leave the pitch unstuck, as if they gave everything. It’s not about football, it’s more than that. It’s a difficult graft.”
“If you look at Friday night, West Ham were terrible at times, but they still won 4-0. They kept going. I’m worried about Spurs. It’s going to be an interesting game against Brighton next week. They concede chances, but when they attack they can really play. Brighton will play fearlessly against a team that is shackled.”
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Jamie Carragher believes Tottenham are headed for relegation
“I didn’t see anything to suggest they could get out of the way. No disrespect to Sunderland, but they shouldn’t be that comfortable in a game as important as this. It’s not like they’re back to the wall and their goalkeeper wasn’t the best player on the pitch. Sunderland probably went into the dressing room thinking, ‘Wow, that’s not like playing against a relegation-battling team.’
“It’s difficult because these players have never been in a relegation battle before and the fans haven’t either. That’s a big advantage for a team that’s always at the bottom of the table because they understand that. The fans of those clubs understand that and stick with them. They have to sweat it out now. If they don’t win next week and the other teams don’t get points, it’s going to be tough.”
“Two of the six games are away to Chelsea and Aston Villa, so there are four games left to survive. Forest were pretty bad against Villa, but they didn’t lose a game of football. They scored a decent goal. By next week, Tottenham could be right in the mud. The other three teams are all having big winnable games. Tottenham don’t even feel like they’re going to score, they don’t have any sense of urgency.”
“I think the Brighton game is a cup final within a cup final for them. If they beat Brighton they will be safe with a win against Wolves. But if they don’t they will be in trouble.”
What about under pressure? “That’s ridiculous.”
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Free to watch: Premier League highlights of Crystal Palace vs. Newcastle
“It’s difficult at the moment because Newcastle have played so much over the last few years, won the cup for the first time, played in the Champions League, and now they’re floating around the middle of the table. They’re almost in empty territory and it’s quite difficult after their best record so far.”
“It makes me laugh when I hear that Eddie Howe is under pressure. He brought the team their first trophy in what felt like a million years. It’s ridiculous to talk about pressure. The real problem is that Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães could leave. Newcastle fans should be worried about that. But they’re still a good team.”
“It’s similar to Liverpool who were at the height of their league championship last season. Look at them now. The demands are taking a toll. Last year they had a more stable team, but this year they don’t because of injuries. I can’t pick the best Newcastle team. I would give them a little bit of freedom.”
“I expect Newcastle to always be around fifth, sixth or seventh in the Premier League. If they’re a full team and they’re all there, they’ll give anybody a game.”
