"It was embarrassing to watch Chelsea" - Emmanuel Petit claims even 20 managers can't solve the issues at the Blues after loss to Arsenal
Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has slammed Chelsea players after their defeat to the Gunners in the Premier League on Tuesday, May 2.
The Blues lost 3-1 at the Emirates after Martin Odegaard scored a brace and Gabriel Jesus added another before Noni Madueke scored one for the visitors. This was Chelsea's sixth consecutive loss in all competitions and 14th in the league overall this campaign.
Petit, who was present at the game, claimed that he could see some arguments between the Chelsea players on the bench. He insisted that it would be very difficult for a new coach to fix this side. He said (via the Mirror):
“I was quite close to the Chelsea bench and I saw some of the players having arguments between them in the second half especially. I was very shocked in the first half by the attitude of the players, the body language, no response, no pride, no unity, no friendship. I was thinking you could put 20 managers on the bench and it won’t change anything at all at the moment."
He added:
"They need to clear something in the dressing room first and then think about the manager afterwards. You can put the best manager on the bench now and he doesn’t get the right answer, there are too many players. It’s a mess and it was embarrassing to watch Chelsea in the first half and I feel sorry for the fans.”
The west London giants have already sacked Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter this campaign, and have appointed Frank Lampard as the caretaker manager. In recent days, they have been heavily linked with former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Arsenal and Chelsea's remaining fixtures
With the win against Chelsea, Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League table. They are two points above Manchester City, who have two games in hand.
Arsenal have four league games remaining and will next face third-placed Newcastle United on Sunday, May 7, in a tough away fixture. They will then face Brighton & Hove Albion at home, Nottingham Forest away, and Wolverhampton Wanderers at home in their final three fixtures.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are 12th in the table and appear likely to miss out on qualification to any of the UEFA competitions next season. They have five games remaining, starting with an away clash against Bournemouth on Saturday, May 6.
The Blues will then host Nottingham Forest before a tough three-game run. They will face both Manchester City and Manchester United away before hosting Newcastle United in their last game of the season.