Chelsea changed their team in 6 of the 10 outfield positions for Saturday’s game, and Denis Zakaria was one of those players thrown in to the mix by the shuffle.
The defeat to Brighton was partly down to the confusion caused by the changes, but after the game Zakaria refused to use that as an excuse, and instead openly criticised the performances of he and his teammates.
“It wasn’t enough, we were bad. We have to do way better. What was said stays between the coach, the owners and the team,” Zakaria said in quotes picked up by the Evening Standard.
“Yes, I think it is good [that Lampard is honest] because we need more. We are not good. It is tough.
“It is difficult and we feel bad for the fans because we cannot play like that. It is tough and we have to do better. It is hard.
“We are now going to do everything we can to come through the game against Real Madrid and win this game. We will give everything until the end.”
Zakaria himself was one of the worst offenders, playing poorly throughout his time on the pitch, but he was also one of those with the most valid excuse. Having hardly been used by Graham Potter since the World Cup break, he looked physically miles off the pace, and just couldn’t get up to speed with the game, which was played at a high tempo as Brighton took the initiative and pulled Chelsea’s midfield all over.
