Ian Wright has hit out at two Chelsea players in particular following the 5-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates on Tuesday night.
The Blues were on the receiving end of a thrashing in north London which kept Mauricio Pochettino’s side ninth, whilst the Gunners went three points clear at the top.
Former Chelsea player Kai Havertz scored twice as did defender Ben White, with Leandro Trossard also on the scoresheet, as the Blues collapsed in the second half.
It was a night to forget for everyone associated with the club, particularly the players, with Arsenal legend Wright accusing Pochettino’s men of “clocking off” and Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson of disappearing in the second half.
“We saw that big incident over the penalty, players fighting for the ball”, he said on Premier League Productions.
“Those two players [Jackson and Madueke] are not exactly pulling up trees with their performances.
“They have the confidence and the cheek to do that to the best player in the team [Palmer], but when you really need them they’re not turning up. It seems to me that their minds are not on what they need to do.”
Wright believes the farcical penalty incident against Everton and the pairs performance against Arsenal should set alarm bells ringing for Pochettino and the club.
“If you’re thinking about taking a penalty off your best player when you’re 4-0 up but you come to Arsenal and you almost disappear and miss chances, there’s something wrong” , Wright added.
“There’s something massively wrong in that dressing room, they were fighting over the penalty which tells me they want it easy.
“It’s not easy, especially when you come to a place like Arsenal and you haven’t got your best player.
“You need to show up. But they missed chances and then they clocked off at 2-0, they clocked off.”
Chelsea don’t have long to pick themselves up as they travel to high flying Aston Villa on Saturday night knowing they need a result to have any chance of qualifying for Europe next season.
I didn’t like the penalty incident anymore than Wright at the time, but I think he’s making more out of it now than it deserves.
Take Jackson, for example, There’s no question that he’s giving 100% effort to be the striker Chelsea so badly needs. He’s hungry for goals, and his constant running and work rate show it. Obviously, he’s also acutely aware that he’s yet to find the confidence and composure to convert the MANY chances he’s created and I read his eagerness to take that penalty against Everton as nothing more than a desire (if a selfish one) to see the ball hit the back of the net and bolster his own confidence (and stats). We all know that every great striker needs to have a bit of selfish streak and I think that’s what you’re seeing with Jackson in that Everton game and, while it was inappropriate in that moment, it isn’t evidence of some deep-seated problem (as Wright suggests). It’s just a young lad under intense pressure trying to be the scorer everyone expects him to be.