Paul Merson slammed a Chelsea star after the bitterly disappointing 2-1 defeat against Sunderland in the Premier League on Saturday.
Blues suffer setback against newly-promoted Sunderland
Sunderland have surpassed expectations so far this season, but the Blues would’ve been expecting to take all three points against a newly-promoted side, and the 2-1 defeat is a setback, especially after winning their previous four games on the bounce in all competitions.
Alejandro Garnacho opened the scoring for Enzo Maresca’s side after just four minutes, with the winger netting his first goal since arriving at Stamford Bridge, but Wilson Isidor’s equaliser and a stoppage-time winner from Chemsdine Talbi turned the game on its head.
A number of the home side’s players struggled, with Marc Guiu failing to make any impact on the match, and there have since been calls for Maresca to drop the striker, who touched the ball just ten times prior to being withdrawn on the 75-minute mark.
Guiu was given the nod at centre-forward, in order to accommodate Joao Pedro in an attacking midfield role, despite the Brazilian starting almost exclusively at striker so far this season.
Maresca would’ve been hoping the position change would allow the 24-year-old to rediscover his top form, but it wasn’t to be, with Merson left very unimpressed by his performance.
Speaking on Sky Sports (via Metro), the former Arsenal man said: “They need Delap back badly, they need a focal point.
“Guiu played up front and I think he touched the ball nine, ten times. You can’t do that in a team that are supposed to be dominating the ball.
“Chelsea ran out of ideas. They had winger after winger but half of them don’t go past anyone. Joao Pedro looked lost as a number ten. They struggled and were pretty poor.”
Injury may have impacted Pedro's performance
The Blues have been forced to deal with a number of injury issues in the early stages of the campaign, and Maresca revealed the former Brighton & Hove Albion man is one of many players not at full fitness.
The Italian said: “Joao is not training every day because he is managing an injury problem. Moi is the same, Enzo is the same,
“We have four or five players that have some problems and cannot work every day. They try to make the effort and play the game. Joao struggled a little bit today but all of the players did today, so it’s not just Joao.”
That said, there will rightfully be concerns about the display, with the forward losing possession nine times and failing to get a single shot away throughout the match.
Pedro’s performance levels have been going downhill for some time now, having failed to register a Premier League goal or assist since September, and Maresca will be hoping the £125k-a-week forward can turn the corner soon.
