Disappointed faces that we thought we had put away in the locker room for the end of the season. Undefeated in the league since February 4 (8 games in a row) and a defeat at home against Wolverhampton, Chelsea fell back into their ways again this evening. And how ! Traveling to the Emirates Stadium this Tuesday evening for a late match on the 29th day, the London club suffered a real 5-0 humiliation. This is Arsenal’s biggest victory against its neighbor in its history.
A correction which will be a landmark in the minds of the supporters of both teams, and new lice in the head of Mauricio Pochettino. Already eliminated in the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City this weekend, the Blues have nothing left to play for at the end of the season. Even more worrying, the players seemed to completely lose control from the first minutes of the match. The sequel confirmed this trend and contradicted Pochettino’s pre-match statement, who was annoyed by the mention Cole Palmer Football Club.
Palmer’s absence doesn’t explain everything
Forfeited this evening, the club’s best player of the season was sorely missed. His presence would undoubtedly not have upset the outcome of this duel, which therefore sees the Gunners confirm their first place at the top of the Premier League, with at the end, perhaps, a first title in 20 years. “We cannot say that this is the reason why we lost the match,” said the Argentine coach after the match. But we are losing a player who is a creative player who helps bind the team together.” How can we justify this calming collective then?
“It’s not difficult to explain. Everyone saw that we were not competitive from the start of the match.continues Pochettino, deploring in turn the lack of aggressiveness, concentration of his troops, but also reaction. “We wanted to start the second half in a different way. But we got off to a really bad start. In 10, 15 minutes in the second half, when we conceded the third goal, we gave in. It was hard until the end.” More than a defeat, the Blues may have definitively said goodbye to Europe this evening.
Farewell to Europe?
The former PSG technician does not want to think about it for the moment while three still decisive duels against Aston Villa, Tottenham and West Ham await him. “Right now it’s difficult to see the future because after this match we are disappointed. It’s difficult to talk about goals. If we play like last Saturday (against Manchester City in the FA Cup) then yes. But if we compete like today (tonight), I think we don’t deserve to go to Europe. Not that way.” What if Pochettino had completely lost the thread, he who was once again the subject of a insult from Thiago’s wife immediately after the final whistle.
