Arsenal icon Paul Merson brutally blasts ‘cringeworthy’ Chelsea over ‘crazy’ decision | Football

Paul Merson has taken aim at Chelsea over their ‘crazy’ decision to ban Enzo Fernandez and labelled Liam Rosenior’s team ‘cringeworthy’ in defeat to Manchester City.

The Blues have lost three Premier League games on the spin and are now in a battle to qualify for any European football next season.

Chelsea sit sixth in the table after their 3-0 home loss to Manchester City, four points behind fifth-placed Liverpool, but only one point ahead of Brentford and Everton.

Rosenior admitted after the loss that his team are prone to capitulating after conceding a goal, having watched Manchester City score three in 17 minutes on Sunday.

Merson feels this trait is ‘cringeworthy’ and also reckons the club has given itself a problem by banning midfielder Fernandez.

The Blues handed the Argentina international a two-game ban for making eyebrow-raising comments about a possible move to Real Madrid.

The former Arsenal and England forward has labelled the decision ‘crazy’ and reckons it could cost Chelsea a Champions League finish.

‘It’s a huge issue if they don’t qualify for the Champions League, but if you look at it at the moment, they will be sweating on getting into Europe full stop,’ Merson told Sky Sports. ‘They have to be playing in the Champions League, but for me, yesterday [against Man City] was cringeworthy. I’m asking the question “why”?

‘Why in your brain of brains would you ban Enzo Fernandez for two games? He’s your best passer of the ball, the one who can create, and you chop your nose off to spite your face. And it’s not the FA banning him, it’s the club. It’s crazy at the highest level. They were crying out for him yesterday; they couldn’t get out.

‘Who banned Enzo? Was it the manager, or did that come from up above? You’ve got to use a bit of common sense and say “we need all our best players”.

‘This is a hard job; people are questioning the manager. The last thing you want to do is tell one of your best players they can’t play in the big game. It’s madness. Common sense isn’t always common, is it?’

Rosenior will have Fernandez available again when Chelsea host Manchester United on Saturday, with the manager very pleased to have him back.

‘I’m looking forward to having him back next week,’ said the Chelsea boss. ‘Sometimes you make decisions not based on the short term, but on what you want to see in the long term.

‘It was a long-term decision made by myself, the directors and the club, alongside the leadership group of players, to make sure our values and our culture are in the right place for the future.’

Fernandez caused a stir with his comments about a possible move to Madrid during an in an interview with YouTube channel Avirales, when he was questioned on which city he would like to live in.

‘I’d like to live in Spain. I really like Madrid, it reminds me of Buenos Aires,’ Fernandez said.

‘Players live where they want. I’d live in Madrid. I get by in English, but I’d be more comfortable in Spanish.’

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