Chelsea will face Brentford in the Premier League tonight at Stamford Bridge where interim boss Frank Lampard will be looking to pick up his first win since taking charge following the sacking of Graham Potter.
The Blues are without a win in their last seven games in all competitions, including four defeats in a row, but Paul Merson has predicted they will bounce back to winning ways this evening.
Speaking to Sportskeeda, he says that it will be a “massive blow” for the Blues if they fail to win this game. The popular pundit adds that it’s a worrying sign for the club that they haven’t figured out what their best team is.
Chelsea are yet to appoint their next permanent manager but talks are underway to bring Mauricio Pochettino to the club. Merson says Carlo Ancelotti would have been “perfect” for the Blues and suggests that Chelsea will have to be cautious with Pochettino because he has been out of work for a while.
Lampard confirmed on Tuesday that Chelsea will be without Reece James and Mason Mount for this game, with both players potentially missing the rest of the season due to injuries. However, Merson thinks Chelsea will manage a 2-1 win over their London rivals.
Merson said to SportsKeeda:
“This is a big game for Chelsea – a derby against one of the lesser teams in West London. Chelsea have got to go and win this for the fans, and you’d hope the players would understand that. I don’t mean any disrespect to Brentford, but Chelsea losing this game would be a massive blow to their stature as a club.
“I’ve been saying it since day one – Chelsea need to get a manager in. I’m not sure their players are too bothered, and some of them are on their way out. They’re top players, and there will be takers. We’re already in April, and I still don’t think anyone at the club has figured out what Chelsea’s best team is. That’s been their season in a nutshell, and it’s very worrying.
“I think Carlo Ancelotti is the perfect candidate to take over at Chelsea. He’s been there before and they need someone of that stature, but I’m not sure he’ll come back. Pochettino is another candidate, but Chelsea will have to be careful. He could get it done with young players at Tottenham, but failed to win the league at PSG – how many managers have done that? He’s been out of work for a long time.
“Chelsea need someone to steady the ship for the next year or two. We’ve seen it before in the Premier League – all the incredible work they’ve done over the past twenty years could very quickly fizzle out. Brentford have hit a brick wall at the moment and are on one of those runs where they aren’t getting over the line. They’re on a bad run, and this game could be interesting. I’m not too confident when I say this, but I think Chelsea could go on to win this game.”
Best chance
Merson appears to be very skeptical about the potential appointment of Pochettino. The Argentine did a terrific job at Southampton and Tottenham, and rightly earned a job to manage PSG. It wasn’t a hugely successful spell for him at the French club, but he did manage to win three trophies for PSG, including the league title in 2021-22.
Brentford are struggling at the moment, having failed to win in their last six Premier League games. They avoided their fourth successive defeat in their previous game, after drawing 1-1 against Aston Villa, and will be looking to build on that when they visit Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
Chelsea have been shockingly poor under Lampard but this is a game they have to win. They have dropped points against Villa, Fulham, Southampton, Everton, and Brighton in recent games, and need a big improvement tonight.
