Chelsea fell short in their recent Premier League clash against Manchester City as Pep Guardiola’s men edged out a 1-0 win in their trip to Stamford Bridge. It was courtesy of a Riyad Mahrez strike that helped the Citizens to win the all important clash.
Following the match, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher lashed out at two Chelsea players who he felt were at fault for this defeat. He criticized Kepa Arrizablaga’s effort in goal and also slammed Marc Cucurella for his reluctance to track back and defend. It is strange that Graham Potter;’s men have won once in their last eight matches, drawing three and losing the other four matches.
It was Riyad Mahrez who scored the decisive goal from a fine cross from Jack Grealish. Mahrez crept in at the back post and tapped it in from close range. There were questions on Cucurella’s defensive capabilities as Carragher also questioned Kepa as he was timid in his approach in the lead up to the goal. He could have prevented Grealish’s cross which led to the goal.
Jamie Carragher, who was doing post match analysis on Sky Sports, criticized the Chelsea goalkeeper for his poor attitude during the goal and feels he could have done a lot better to avoid the cross. He said, “Can the goalkeeper do more? I think he can. I’m pretty certain he could’ve done more. Man City have deserved that off the second half performance.”
The former Liverpool defender also slammed Marc Cucurella for his reluctance to track back. He feels that the Spaniard does not want to defend or is very wary of the offside trap therefore he does not track back enough to put someone onside during the counter attacks especially.
“I’ve been questioning Cucurella in this second-half. He doesn’t want to defend. Certainly 1 vs 1. We’ve seen that three or four times. Whether he stopped his run, because sometimes you’re wary of playing someone onside,” Carragher explained.
The Blues are currently 10th in the Premier League points table and are 10 points behind Manchester United who are fourth on the points table. But Manchester City gained a lot from the 1-0 win as they have cut the deficit on the league leaders Arsenal to only four points after the Gunners only managed a 0-0 draw against Newcastle United.
