Paul Merson is worried that Chelsea could become flat track bullies under Enzo Maresca this season having lost against both Manchester City and Liverpool.
The Blues have made a promising start to the season and currently sit sixth in the league, with Maresca named Premier League Manager of the Month for September.
Having recorded a convincing 4-1 win over Panathinaikos in the Conference League on Thursday night, Maresca’s men will be looking to return to winning ways in the league against Newcastle on Sunday.
Merson concerned Chelsea could become flat track bullies
Whilst the Blues have three wins from four away from home, their form at Stamford Bridge hasn’t been great and they have just one win from four games there this season.
Having lost to City the Blues have drawn to both Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest, with their only win at home this campaign coming against Brighton, with Cole Palmer scoring all four goals.
The Blues need three points against Newcastle to get back on track with Manchester United and Arsenal their next two games in the league.
Despite the positive start Merson does have one concern for Chelsea this season and said:
“I just hope Chelsea don’t become flat track bullies,” he told Sportskeeda as cited on X.com.
“They failed to win against City and Liverpool. Well, you could say they did play well at Anfield last weekend, but they ended up losing even then.”
Merson does have a point that Chelsea do need to beat the bigger teams and their record hasn’t been particularly good against the big sides.
The Blues don’t want to get a reputation as a team that beats the teams they should but struggles against the big teams in the big games.
It’s all part of the learning process for this young side, and positive results against United and Arsenal in their upcoming games would certainly help dismiss Merson’s worries.
