Emmanuel Petit slams “lamentable” attitude of Chelsea’s bench players

Former France international Emmanuel Petit has slammed Chelsea’s players for their “lamentable” attitude during their 3-1 defeat to Arsenal on Boxing Day. The result marked the club’s sixth consecutive loss since the appointment of Frank Lampard as manager. Petit said the following on the Premier League’s own coverage of the match with Ian Wright.

“I was quite close to the Chelsea bench and I saw some players arguing with each other, especially in the second half,” Petit revealed.

He went on to say that he was shocked by the players’ attitude in the first half, as there was a “lack of reaction, pride, unity, and friendship”.

Petit continued, “I thought that we could put 20 managers on the bench and it wouldn’t change anything for now. The players need to do some cleaning up in the dressing room and then think about the coach. Even the best manager can find himself on the bench and not get the right response because there are too many players. It’s a real waste and it was embarrassing to see Chelsea in the first half, I’m sorry for the fans.”

Chelsea have struggled to find form under Lampard and currently sit in 12th place in the Premier League, 9 points away from the relegation zone after 33 games. The situation has put the nerves of the whole team to the test, with players reportedly arguing on the sidelines during the game against Arsenal

GFFN | George Boxall