FORMER Scotland midfielder Craig Burley has slammed Chelsea for their “unacceptable” defeat to Southampton.
Thomas Tuchel’s side suffered a 2-1 loss to The Saints on Tuesday.
New boy Raheem Sterling gave Chelsea the advantage within the opening 25 minutes of the clash.
But, Southampton were able to turn the game on its head before half time courtesy of goals from Romeo Lavia and Adam Armstrong.
The Blues have since come under fire for their poor performance with a number of pundits chipping in with the criticism.
And Burley, who spent eight years with Chelsea during his playing career, has dubbed the display “unacceptable”.
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He told ESPN: “They were poor and it wasn’t surprising. Yes, they beat Leicester at the weekend but again, away from home, they’re poor.
“They took the lead against a team a lot of people are tipping for relegation. None of Southampton’s players would get near the Chelsea team.
“It’s another unacceptable performance. It’s unacceptable. I know they’ve got one or two out [injured] but so what? It just wasn’t good enough. And it’s not an anomaly.
“Look at the performance at Leeds. They scraped a win at Everton. I’m sorry, we’re trying to find excuses here but it’s not good enough.”
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Burley also singled out Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech for underperforming.
He added: “Listen, with Kai Havertz, I’ve said it before… it’s all very well playing well in the Champions League, scoring in the final, that’s great for him, but there’s 50 games in a season.
“Timo Werner’s gone back and scored a hat-trick in Germany, that tells you all you need to know. He couldn’t cut it in England and Havertz is the same.
“Mount’s not playing well. They’ll all been crying about Pulisic after that. It’s up to these players to do it.
“Ziyech, he’s lightweight. When he came in under [Frank] Lampard we were all worried because he looked injury-prone and weak.
“These players are all worth millions. The manager needs to sort it out.”
Read More on The Sun
Chelsea now sit eighth in the Premier League table with seven points.
This season they have already dropped points in three of their opening five games despite being the Prem’s biggest summer spenders.
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By: Emillia Hawkins
Title: ‘I know they’ve got one or two out but so what?’ – Craig Burley blasts Chelsea’s ‘unacceptable’ defeat to Southampton
Sourced From: www.thesun.co.uk/sport/19663098/craig-burley-blasts-chelseas-unacceptable-defeat-southampton/
Published Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2022 09:56:44 +0000
