Merson argued that Guiu, currently deputising for the long-term injured Liam Delap, touched the ball just 10 times.
By Kehinde Okeowo
English pundit and former Arsenal midfielder, Paul Merson, has slammed Chelsea following their shock 2-1 loss to Sunderland in a Premier League match played on Saturday at Stamford Bridge.
The home side set the tone and opened the scoring as early as the fourth minute after Alejandro Garnacho beat the Sunderland keeper.
The visitors, however, levelled the scores in the 22nd minute through Wilson Isidor and went on to claim all three points in added time when Chemsdine Talbi scored their winning goal.
Speaking after the defeat, Merson criticised the whole team and singled out young striker, Marc Guiu, saying the former Barcelona player needs to be replaced immediately.
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The Arsenal legend and self-proclaimed Chelsea fan argued that Guiu, who is currently filling in for Liam Delap (recovering from a long-term injury), only touched the ball 10 times.
“Well impressed with Sunderland today, I wasn’t with Chelsea,” Merson told Sky Sports.
“I thought they’d struggle. They need Delap back badly, they need a focal point.
“Guiu played up front and I think he touched the ball nine, ten times. You can’t do that in a team that’s supposed to be dominating the ball.
“Chelsea ran out of ideas. They had winger after winger but half of them don’t go past anyone. Joao Pedro looked lost as a number ten. They struggled and were pretty poor.”
Enzo Maresca handed Guiu his first Premier League start against Sunderland following his impressive performances in Chelsea’s last two games.
Meanwhile, the latest defeat means Chelsea have dropped to eighth in the table and are five points behind leaders Arsenal.
