"Slightly disappointed" "He struggled at times" - Steven Gerrard and Rio Ferdinand critical of ex-Chelsea star's disappointing UCL display
Former England players turned television pundits Steven Gerrard and Rio Ferdinand have criticized former Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori following his poor display against Inter Milan.
Tomori failed to impress at the heart of the AC Milan defence as the Rossoneri lost 2-0 to their local rivals Inter Milan in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final.
Inter Milan started the game in blistering fashion and scored two early goals in just 11 minutes as the centre-back duo of Tomori and Simon Kjaer looked out of their depth.
Rio Ferdinand claimed that Tomori, who was formerly on the books of Chelsea, failed to catch the eye on the big occasion as he lost most duels. He told BT Sport, as quoted by The Mirror:
"I said before the game, in the big showcase games you have to perform if you want to be propelled into being a top player. And unfortunately it wasn’t one of those today. One thing I would say is that individual duels, I don’t think he won enough of them. I don’t think he impacted the two centre-forwards with any type of aggressiveness, challenges to really put a marker down at any point. They kind of dominated."
The Manchester United legend added:
“One thing they did have was really good balls into them. They had time to get their heads up from either defensive positions in midfield or run with the ball freely to get balls into the forwards. If you are playing good balls into the right sides of the forwards to benefit them, players of Martinez’s and Dzeko’s standards, they are going to make it difficult for any defender to get near them."
He further said:
"It was a little bit of that. But you have got to assert yourself in these games. You have to put your marker down early in these games and at no point did he do that.”
Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard, who was Ferdinand's co-pundit, also insisted that Tomori missed his opportunity to impress England manager Gareth Southgate. He said:
“We obviously gave the big build-up to Tomori before the game – all eyes would have been on him tonight. Gareth Southgate was watching him as well. We were slightly disappointed. We wanted him to perform and really step forward tonight and take the opportunity but we thought he struggled at times.”
Tomori has grown from strength to strength since joining AC Milan from Chelsea permanently in 2021 following a six-month loan with the Rossoneri.
He has grown from strength to strength since joining AC Milan from Chelsea permanently in 2021 following a six-month loan with the Rossoneri.
He played a key role in their Scudetto win last season and was named in the Serie A Team of the Year.
Tomori has been almost ever-present in Stefano Pioli's side this season as well, making 38 appearances.
The Englishman has been almost ever-present in Stefano Pioli's side this season as well, making 38 appearances across competitions.
Chelsea star Kai Havertz names the three most skillful players at the Premier League club
Chelsea forward Kai Havertz has picked teammates Mateo Kovacic, Joao Felix, and Hakim Ziyech as the three most skillful players at Stamford Bridge.
When asked who was the most skillful player at the east London side, the Germany international said on The 5th Stand app (as quoted by The Chelsea Chronicle):
“The best technically Mateo Kovacic, but I suppose he doesn’t use many skills in-game. That is Joao Felix, I’d say. Hakim Ziyech is the one who always tries to nutmeg.”
Chelsea are currently 11th in the Premier League table having endured a campaign to forget.
The south-west London outfit is currently managed by club legend Frank Lampard, who was hired as interim boss until the end of the season.
The Blues continue their search for a permanent manager, with former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) manager Mauricio Pochettino said to be very close to joining the club.
Havertz is currently Chelsea's leading goalscorer this season with nine strikes to his name.