Arsenal legend Paul Merson slams Chelsea’s Marc Guiu following his poor display in their defeat against Sunderland.

Chelsea have not really had the best of starts to the new season as they suffered their third Premier League defeat at the hands of Sunderland on Saturday. The Blues have slipped down to eighth, and they could go down even further by the end of the matchday. And Marc Guiu has now attracted criticism.

Paul Merson slams Marc Guiu

Arsenal icon Paul Merson was not pleased with Chelsea’s performances, and he made his feelings known while speaking on Sky Sports following the West London club’s defeat. The 57-year-old was left frustrated by Marc Guiu’s poor display.

Merson said via the , “Well impressed with Sunderland today, I wasn’t with Chelsea. 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.

“Chelsea ran out of ideas. They had winger after winger but half of them don’t go past anyone. Joao Pedro looked lost as a number ten. They struggled and were pretty poor.”

Alejandro Garnacho handed Chelsea an early lead in the game. While everyone expected the Blues to dominate proceedings thereafter, things did not really go according to plan for them. Wilson Isidor’s equaliser in the 22nd minute stopped their momentum, and substitute Chemsdine Talbi bagged an injury-time winner to give the newly-promoted outfit all three points on the night.

Guiu’s disappointing day at the office

Marc Guiu, who spent about a month on loan at Sunderland before being recalled by the Blues following Liam Delap’s injury, endured a rather disappointing spell. While leading Chelsea’s attack, he could only manage to touch the ball “nine or ten times”.

In a game where the Blues dominated the ball, the 19-year-old was not able to get involved, and Merson feels that is simply not good enough for someone leading the line for the West London club. The Arsenal legend believes Chelsea desperately needs Delap back in the mix.

The Blues need a top-quality number nine, a focal point that links up with those around him and scores goals when the going gets difficult. The former Ipswich Town striker is expected to be back in the mix for the next fixture after being sidelined for around two months, and it is certainly a massive boost for them.

Meanwhile, Marc Guiu will look to bounce back after a very disappointing outing against the Black Cats. While he will only have limited opportunities going forward, the Blues will hope he makes an impact whenever he takes the field.