Popular pundit, Paul Merson has said Frank Lampard made an error by selling David Luiz to London rivals, Arsenal, because opponents with suffocate the Blues without him playing from the back.
David Luiz, 32, forced his Stamford Bridge exit to join Unai Emery at the Emirates Stadium recently, filling the space left by Laurent Koscielny.
After their 4-0 loss to Manchester United, Paul Merson has now said Chelsea has now lost that defender that can start an attack from the back.
His words, “I go to Stamford Bridge a lot, and Chelsea’s defence are asked to play out nearly all the time.”
“Kepa doesn’t kick anything long. Luiz was the best player on the ball by a million miles. Now all of a sudden, you’ve got players who can’t play out, and teams will suffocate them.
“Frank Lampard has got to be careful. Chelsea have let their best ball-playing defender leave to go to their rivals, not just in London but in the top four. None of their defenders can play out from the back.”
“I can understand if Chelsea pushed everyone up to the halfway line, the goalkeeper kicks it, and they play in the other half, but if you’re asking them to start playing out from the back, they’re going to get beaten left, right and centre.
“Kurt Zouma just didn’t look ready. He didn’t look ready before this, which is why he went out on loan. It’s a dangerous, dangerous game. The fans liked David Luiz. They need to get results quickly, because the fans won’t be happy watching them play out and lose the ball.
“It looked like Frank looked at the situation and thought: ‘I need it quiet here, I can’t be having problems’, so Chelsea let Luiz go. Sometimes that’s the way it is, and great managers have a high-maintenance player and get them to perform.”
Chelsea will face Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup next before their EPL clash vs Leicester City.
