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Premier League legend Alan Shearer has claimed Chelsea have dressing room issues and has advised Thomas Tuchel to address them immediately.
Tuchel’s team were held to a 1-1 draw at Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday night, which practically put an end to their title challenge. The draw marked The Blues’ second stalemate with Brighton in under three weeks, which is worrying, to say the least.
The reigning European champions were the first to strike through Hakim Ziyech in the first half but couldn’t maintain their advantage in the second 45. Courtesy of a defensive lapse, the Seagulls equalized via Adam Webster and eventually stole two points off their high-profile rivals.
Shearer was disappointed with Chelsea’s overall display against Brighton on Tuesday and thought their body language pointed towards dressing room turmoil.
Speaking to Mirror, the league’s record goalscorer said:
“It doesn’t look a happy camp to me. Too many players waving their arms around, passing the buck, looking for excuses, nowhere near good enough in forward positions from a Chelsea point of view.”
He added:
"I think he’s got issues in that Chelsea dressing room that need sorting out and need sorting out quick. It wouldn’t be the first time in Chelsea’s history that they’ve had issues in the dressing room and we know what happens when that occurs.”
The former Newcastle United striker also criticized Callum Hudson-Odoi for his poor miss just before half-time, claiming he didn’t use his pace to his advantage.
Shearer continued:
"Hudson-Odoi I thought he had a really poor game this evening. You’re looking for some energy, you’re looking for a burst of pace to go past the defender and it never happened.”
He added:
“It’s his [Tuchel’s] job to sort it out because we can see it happening on the pitch, we saw it on Saturday against Manchester City, we saw it again against Brighton, it’s not a happy camp and that is one of the reasons, no doubt about it."
Hudson-Odoi has featured in 24 games for the west London unit this season, registering three goals and four assists.
Chelsea crash out of Premier League title race
The 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday night saw the Blues stretch their winless run to four games in the Premier League. Their last win in the English top-flight came against Aston Villa on Boxing Day at Villa Park.
Since that triumph, the Blues have drawn twice with Brighton, played out a 2-2 stalemate with Liverpool, and were beaten 1-0 by Manchester City. Tuchel’s team are currently 12 points behind runaway leaders Manchester City, having played a game more than Pep Guardiola’s men.
Chelsea take on Tottenham Hotspur next in the Premier League on Sunday.
