In his latest column, Paul Merson explains why Chelsea will have to return to the Champions League next season. . .
Merse also explains why West Ham might let David Moyes go, his thoughts on Tottenham’s lack of a plan B with Angel Postecoglou and sympathises with Arsenal, who he believes will lose out in the race for the name despite “not having done anything wrong”.
Chelsea have not been consistent enough. They were smart in the cups, that’s what happens when you’re a young team.
They’re doing well at the moment, playing fair, and they’re on the right track in the race for Europe. For me, they have to qualify. They reached a final, a semi-final, they were unlucky in both cases and it can still be a smart season.
But they will have to buy players, and not go back and think that they have done things right from the beginning. No, they didn’t. They are miles away from Manchester City and Arsenal. You have to have a global vision.
They will have to delight in this summer. It turns out that Thiago Silva is leaving, he is their most delightful player.
So they have to get on board, you want it if you want consistency when things are going too well, and they can just calm things down a little bit. They probably want an experienced centre-back to update Silva, and they may also want the occasional centre-forward.
They want to qualify for the Champions League next year, so they want to start the final day with Arsenal and Man City.
It’s Chelsea, not a team. Chelsea are used to winning things, they need to win things, not finish fourth in the league as Tottenham intended to do, and celebrate it.
I don’t see how it is possible that Poch is not in charge next season, even if nothing surprises him. I didn’t think they’d ever have to get rid of him, he’s a smart coach. Individuals don’t gain anything, and as long as they can continue to solve this challenge and play as a team now, everything will be fine.
West Ham must be careful what they want. Moyes uprooted trees and won a European trophy. Solid seventh, eighth, ninth, the most sensible part of the table again.
I’m not saying that what happened to Charlton will happen overnight, however, many years ago, when he was playing, his enthusiasts would ask to get rid of Alan Curbishley, saying he was boring, in the middle of the table they would look after kicking.
Since then, they have never been seen again. This coach is the Array of the drawer. They won a European trophy!It’s just crazy.
I got rid of it in a month on Sunday. West Ham enthusiasts will be back, saying this and that, throwing out all the statistics globally. But I’m just going to provide you with the biggest statistic of all. . You won. A. Trophy.
This entertaining football doesn’t interest me at all, we don’t play very well, we deserve to do better with those players. They won a trophy! Look at Arsenal, they are and they may end up with nothing.
I’ve said it before, Fulham is the only game that can bother Manchester City. You’re looking for that at the moment, what chances do Tottenham have?What are West Ham’s chances? It’s the only game.
Fulham were at Brentford last week and got a 0-0 draw. But when Manchester City scores, you can’t see Fulham score two or three. I hope they make this game difficult, however, I said it some time ago when Arsenal lost to Aston Villa, I didn’t give them a chance.
They did a wonderful job of staying there, if I’m honest. They didn’t do anything wrong, for a game opposite to a team that’s a smart team, but they can’t win a game now!That’s why other people continue to play at big clubs. That’s the difference, everyone has to beat you.
Since then, Villa has held his own against Chelsea, being sold through Olympiakos and then through Brighton.
Fulham is the hall of last chances. If they win this game, it’s over.
I’ve said it before, it probably won’t be the same next year for Tottenham. It’s one of those scenarios where you look at the stage and say yes, loose shot, loose shot, it’s a lot bigger than last year.
But it is unimaginable that they will achieve it next year, being defeated by 4 or 5, without having a plan B. However, this is what happened.
Everyone jumped at the set pieces. He’ll paint it: the guy is a smart coach. But every time they score a goal, they get into trouble.
Everybody enjoyed it, the press enjoyed it, everybody enjoyed it, unless you were an Arsenal fan. Now jump on it.
I love Ange, don’t get me wrong. For a neutral, it’s great. If you’re an amateur, I’m not so sure. It’s easy to live with this philosophy when you’re Celtic coach. ” We’re passing through to pass out and play football from the front. “
You can’t do that at Tottenham, no disrespect, but you can do it at Celtic. If you open the game there, you have a chance, we have a chance, you win the game. This is not the case at Spurs.
You have to be nice, that’s why other people like Mourinho and Conte came in and played the way they played. They may have just come in and played like that, weighed the question and said they would win a lot of games, but in the bigger ones you’d be blushing.
He will have to replace him next season. Tottenham enthusiasts are already agitated; His season is aimed at preventing Arsenal from winning the league now. We can’t continue to live like this and the players also have to show their faces.
Maddison is coming back from injury, he didn’t touch the ball. It’s not just the coach, he’s had injuries, but you can’t keep doing what you’re doing. I like it, I like the way they play, but it’s not smart if you’re a fan.