Is Jobe Bellingham coming back to Sunderland?
Paul Merson says Sunderland are “brilliant on the counter” and insists there is “no chance” they go down
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday, Merson was full of praise for Sunderland’s organisation, discipline and counter-attacking quality following their 2–1 victory in west London – their first win at Stamford Bridge since 2014.
“Sunderland are brilliant on the counter-attack,” Merson said after the game. “They defend well, and the goalkeeper is good. They have legs all over the pitch. In the second half, I can’t remember the Chelsea goalkeeper making a save. They were outstanding. There is no chance they are getting relegated. They will cause teams problems.”
The result lifted Sunderland to second in the Premier League table on 17 points from their opening nine matches – an extraordinary start for a newly promoted side. While Merson was hugely impressed by Sunderland, he was far less complimentary about Chelsea’s display, suggesting Enzo Maresca’s team “ran out of ideas” as they struggled to break down the visitors’ compact structure.
“Chelsea ran out of ideas,” Merson added following Sunderland’s stunning win at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League. “They had winger after winger, but half of them don’t go past anyone. Pedro looked lost as a number 10. They struggled and were pretty poor.”
The Sky Sports pundit was also critical of Chelsea striker Marc Guiu, who was recalled from a brief loan spell at Sunderland earlier in the season but made little impression against his former club. “Well impressed with Sunderland today, I wasn’t with Chelsea,” Merson said. “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 are supposed to be dominating the ball.
What did Enzo Maresca say after the game against Sunderland?
Enzo Maresca conceded that Chelsea were second best after their 2–1 defeat to Sunderland at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea made a bright start and went ahead early through Alejandro Garnacho, but Wilson Isidor levelled for the visitors before half-time.
Despite dominating possession after the break, the Blues struggled to break down Sunderland’s organised defence and were punished in stoppage time when Chemsdine Talbi struck the winner from Brian Brobbey’s clever assist. Maresca admitted his side’s defending for the decisive goal was poor and accepted that Chelsea had fallen short over the course of the match. "I think we were in general we were not good enough," Maresca said.
The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone.Simply click this link to join our SAFC WhatsApp channel.
"When you are not good enough in the Premier League, you know the consequences. I've said already, when you are not able to win, it is important that you do not lose. The second goal is not a transition; it's a long ball in behind where we have 2-v-1. We do not defend properly. The first goal comes from a throw-in in but it is difficult; they bring six or seven inside your six-yard box. Overall, we were not good enough.
"It can be an easy situation because it is 2-v-1 and the striker is facing his own goal, probably we are trying to manage the situation because it is 92,93 minutes, because we have to do better. We struggled to create chances, a lack of creativity. We didn't create a lot, we lost some duels and second balls at 1-0 and against this team, we need to do better. When we arrive in certain areas of the pitch, we cross because we expect to have four or five players inside the box, but today, when we cross, probably the quality of the cross was not the best one.”
Continue Reading