Chelsea 1-3 Nottingham Forest: Ex-Premier League defender questions Blues direction in worrying assessment

Jamie Carragher has laid into Chelsea aft their sixth consecutive Premier League decision on Monday against relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest astatine Stamford Bridge.  

The Blues paid the terms for a wretched opening 15 minutes during which they fell 2-0 down to goals from Taiwo Awoniyi and Igor Jesus.  

While they had the accidental to halve the shortage earlier the break, Cole Palmer had his punishment saved by Matz Sels, and the Tricky Trees added to their pb successful the 2nd fractional done Awoniyi earlier Joao Pedro scored a precocious consolation.  

The Brazilian's extremity marked the extremity of an extended top-flight extremity drought which saw the Blues spell astir six games without scoring a league goal.  

Carragher labels Chelsea a "broken club" pursuing Forest defeat

 Carragher provided a scathing appraisal of the club's existent state, describing the Blues arsenic a "broken" instauration pursuing their latest setback.  

"It's shocking and it comes from the top," said Carragher connected Sky Sports News. "There's 5 oregon six truly apical players connected the transportation contiguous and they've been beaten by Nottingham Forest's B team.    

"Less than 12 months ago, they were taking PSG to the cleaners. In immoderate ways, it's a bully happening due to the fact that it tells you that shot isn't conscionable each astir spending money, buying players and this revolving door.    

"It's astir creating togetherness and there's thing there. They look similar a breached shot nine close now."  

Carragher suggested that the changeless revolving doorway of players has prevented the squad from gathering immoderate meaningful togetherness oregon a coherent tactical identity.  

McFarlane demands effect amid historical Chelsea slump  

Interim brag Calum McFarlane labelled the team's opening 15 minutes arsenic "unacceptable" aft conceding 2 aboriginal goals.  

While the hosts deed the woodwork done Enzo Fernandez and missed a penalty, the deficiency of antiaircraft organisation remains a glaring contented for the coaching staff.  

"The archetypal 15 minutes was unacceptable," admitted McFarlane. "Really disappointed with the performance, disappointed with the result, I don't deliberation we ever got to our level contiguous that we cognize we're susceptible of.  

"I thought the archetypal 15 minutes we were obscurity adjacent the level we needed to be. The aboriginal extremity was a spot of a sucker punch and we didn't look to truly retrieve from that moment.

"It was a 3 vs 1 astatine the backmost post. We cognize that they similar to transverse to the backmost post, we cognize that the No 9 likes to peel to the backmost post, and we should support that infinitesimal better.  

"Really disappointing. I thought we defended that infinitesimal truly good [against] Leeds astatine Wembley and I conscionable don't deliberation we recovered from that infinitesimal good enough."  

Chelsea's latest decision mathematically rules them retired of finishing successful the apical five, leaving the ninth-placed nine chasing a European spot via an FA Cup triumph implicit Manchester City.