Chelsea legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink admitted that his former club are ‘in trouble’ after watching them being dumped out of the FA Cup by Manchester United on Monday night.
It was a game between two heavyweights of the division in what was undoubtedly the tie of the fifth round, as eight-time FA Cup winners Chelsea hosted 12-time Cup victors Manchester United.
United would deliver what turned out to be the knockout blows in the first half, with Paul Pogba being involved in both goals for the visitors, following his pretty invisible display against PSG in midweek.
While The Blues had the majority of the ball, they never really threatened, with a lot of their football feeling like a sparring session, with United happy to soak up the pressure and strike on the counter, an avenue through which they were looking particularly dangerous.
While Maurizio Sarri’s ‘Sarri-ball’ was much lauded during his time at Napoli, early signs in West London are not looking good, with the Chelsea faithful audibly turning on their manager both during, and after the game.
Speaking afterwards, former Chelsea number 9 Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink said that ‘something needs to change’ at Stamford Bridge, pointing to the clubs midfield as a particular point of concern.
“Chelsea are in trouble. Something needs to change,” Hasselbaink told the BBC where he was working as a pundit.
“The balance in midfield is not right.
“Sarri sticks to his beliefs. That is the system he wants to play, fair enough, but something is not right in that midfield. Chelsea are not creating enough for the strikers.
“Too much is on Hazard’s shoulders and when they don’t have the ball they don’t look a top side. They look really open and that is a bigger problem.”
More reaction – Sarri: Chelsea played ‘confusing football’.
See also – Can Maurizio Sarri solve his Jorginho problem?
