"He's like an artist" – Marcel Desailly blown away by Chelsea star's performance despite 3-1 West Ham United defeat
Ex-Chelsea star Marcel Desailly was full of praise for Carney Chukwuemeka's goalscoring outing in his team's 3-1 Premier League loss at West Ham United on Sunday (August 20).
The Blues slumped to their first defeat of the ongoing Premier League campaign at the London Stadium last Sunday. Despite dominating possession and playing with an extra man for a quarter of the game, they failed to secure any points.
Nayef Aguerd opened the scoring with a good header from a corner in the seventh minute before Chukwuemeka showcased his dancing boots and levelled things in the 28th minute. However, Michail Antonio and Lucas Paqueta scored twice in the second half for the hosts.
Speaking on Premier League Productions, Desailly lauded Chukwuemeka for his ingenious piece of skill against West Ham. He said:
"I like Carney Chukwuemeka because he is like an artist who comes onto the stage. He has got the ball. Now is my moment. Shine. You see the dribbling. He is sure about what he is going to do and he is clinical. I love it."
Chukwuemeka, who joined Chelsea from his boyhood club Aston Villa for close to £20 million last summer, has started back-to-back Premier League matches so far this campaign. He is likely to continue deputizing for new Blues arrival Christopher Nkunku in the near future.
Last season, the 20-year-old midfielder started two of his 15 appearances across all competitions for the Blues. He racked up 362 minutes of first-team action for his club in the process.
Chukwuemeka will possibly next be in action for the Blues in their Premier League contest against Luton Town at home on Friday (August 25).
Marcel Desailly says Chelsea will be unable to finish in UCL spot of the Premier League
Speaking to Boyle Sports, Marcel Desailly asserted that his former team will fail to finish in a top four spot this campaign. He elaborated:
"I want Chelsea to finish top-four because I am a fan, but I don't think it will happen when you look at their rivals right now. The people who are invested know that this is a medium to long-term process before they can come back to top-four."
Sharing his thoughts on the west London side's project, Desailly added:
"It is a two to three-year project before getting back into the system. You need to build the players and increase their value, get them up to speed with the project. Chelsea are a team that need to build up again that winning mentality."
Chelsea, who finished 12th with just 44 points last Premier League campaign, is in 15th place right now. They have secured a single point from two games, scoring twice and conceding four goals along the way.
Chelsea's football under their new boss is producing more entertainment value to the fans than what it did last season. However, a lack of clinical edge and the old defensive woes continue to haunt the Blues.
Antonio's goal for the Hammers came after Axel Disasi lost possession and then failed to close down the shot in time. In attack, Enzo Fernandez, who has been otherwise reliable for the Blues, missed a penalty in the first half.
Mauricio Pochettino's side are likely to face competition from the teams such as Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur in their bid to finish in a top four spot. They have signed eight new players for a combined sum of around £330 million this summer.