Paul Merson has accused Thomas Tuchel of
getting his team selection horribly wrong against West Bromwich Albion in a
shock 5-2 defeat.
Merson, the former Aston Villa and Arsenal star, believes Tuchel
was wrong to leave Mason Mount out and believes the Blues were punished for
picking ‘too many players out of form’.
The result saw Chelsea slip out of the top-four, with surprise
package West Ham leapfrogging them and Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur both
narrowing the gap.
Merson thinks leaving Mason Mount out against the
relegation-threatened Baggies was a big mistake from the former Paris
Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund manager and he claims he ‘underestimated’
the strength of the Premier League.
He is convinced his selections contributed greatly to Chelsea
‘shooting themselves in the foot’ as Sam Allardyce’s side ran riot and he fears
it could prove costly in their attempts to qualify for next season’s Champions
League.
‘Look how much money Chelsea spent on Kai Havertz and Timo Werner
and they are nowhere near as important as Mount,’ Merson wrote in his Daily
Star column.
‘He’s the go-to man now, and that’s phenomenal at his age. He
carries the team.
‘The turn and shot for the goal against Porto. He knew what he was
going to do before he got the ball. I think he’s top drawer.
‘And I think Thomas Tuchel was surprised by how good he was. He
didn’t pick him for his first game. But he’s the first name on the teamsheet
now.
‘He got left out against West Brom and look what happened. It’s
not the first time I’ve seen a manager come here and underestimate this league.
‘Tuchel picked too many players out of form for that game
expecting to win and they lost. Now they’re in a battle. ‘They might look back
on that at the end of the season as the point when the top-four slipped away.
They shot themselves in the foot. ‘But it proves how
important Mount is. He’s a team player and he gets them going. He’s been out on
loan and kept going and earned his chance.’
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