"Nothing short of a disgrace" - Gary Neville slams Chelsea stars for their 'pathetic' performance in 3-1 loss to Arsenal
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has termed Chelsea players as a disgrace following their woeful 3-1 defeat at Arsenal on Tuesday (May 2).
The Blues were deservedly beaten by the Gunners, courtesy of goals from Martin Odegaard (2), and Gabriel Jesus. Noni Madueke grabbed a consolation strike for Frank Lampard's side on the night.
It was Chelsea's sixth straight defeat across competitions under Lampard since he was appointed caretaker boss in March. Neville was disgusted with the visitors' performance at Arsenal (via Sky Sports):
"Disgusting. It was the best team on paper I've ever seen play as badly as that. It was a shambles in the first half. Pathetic."
The West Londoners have spent over £600 million in the last year. The squad features international players, including the British transfer record signing Enzo Fernandez (£106.8 million). Neville added that Lampard was similarly shocked by how poorly they played against Arsenal:
"There were World Cup winners, internationals, so expensive - I can't believe it. Frank Lampard will be thinking the same. They were as bad as I've seen. When you interpret a manager's language on television, you can times that by 100 on what they were saying in the dressing room."
A new centre-forward signing seems to be at the top of Chelsea's agenda. They're the fourth-lowest scorers in the Premier League with just 31 goals. Neville alluded to that but felt their showing was a disgrace:
"With the quality and pride these players have, you can't stoop to that level. They played really well against Liverpool, and I thought there was promise. Yes, they haven't got a centre-forward or can score goals, but they played well. But what we've seen since is nothing short of a disgrace."
It has been a season to forget for Chelsea, as they sit 12th in the league. Their defeat to Arsenal means they're closer to the relegation zone (9 points) than the top four (24).
Chelsea legend Petr Cech saddened by former side's struggles amid loss to Arsenal
Petr Cech is sad to see the sorry state of Chelsea, as their miserable season hit another low in their defeat to Arsenal.
The Blues former goalkeeper was working as an advisor this time last year at the club before leaving due to the change in ownership. That has coincided with many changes to the recruitment team at Stamford Bridge, changes that many argue have failed.
Cech has reacted to his side's ominous situation by touching on the experienced players within the squad. He said (via Sky Sports):
"It’s obviously sad to see the club in a position in the table as they are. But there are a lot of experienced players which, obviously, have experienced difficult moments in their careers like that."
However, the Blues legend hopes to see a turnaround under Lampard in the closing stages of the season. He reckons one win might just be the turning point:
"I hope that Frank gets together with the players, and they can find a solution for the next coming games. Sometimes you just need one win, one positive result, to turn the corner. Hopefully they can achieve that."
Chelsea will next be in action against Bournemouth on Saturday (May 6). They're level on points with the Cherries (39).