Ben Chilwell has made the priority for Chelsea's next manager very clear after his honest admission following the Blues 3-1 defeat to Arsenal. Within just 34 minutes, the Gunners had strode into a dominant 3-0 lead with Chelsea falling apart at the back and showing no sign of intent in attack, which has mostly been the story of their awful 2022/23 campaign.
Interim manager Frank Lampard is yet to taste a victory since taking temporary charge, losing all six of his games at the helm. Despite the shockingly poor form, there is no current plan to replace him before the end of the campaign, although his chances of staying on past the summer look to have dwindled significantly.
Former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is expected to arrive as the next permanent head coach with crucial talks held in Los Angeles recently. The Argentine has been out of management since being sacked by Paris Saint-Germain last summer, which was his first management post since being relieved of his duties from Spurs in 2019.
READ MORE: Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher agree on Chelsea problem after 'disgraceful' Arsenal display
The challenges, decisions and dilemma's awaiting Pochettino are seemingly endless and he looks to have been handed a new on-pitch priority by Chilwell. The English left-back spoke to Chelsea's official website after the London derby defeat where he explained the possible reasons for the Blues' dismal form.
"We’re hurt and angry, every negative emotion you could think of," he said. "It was very poor. We knew that if we came here and played like that we would have to expect to concede three goals. We weren’t getting tight to anyone, weren’t laying a hand on anyone. We were passive.
"We’re probably quite a nice team to play against which has been the story of the whole season to be honest. It seems to be every team that plays against us has a good game. That’s not a coincidence. A lot of the performances recently have been below the standard we set. The first half was another example of that. We have to look at ourselves."
The 26-year-old also sent a message to the Chelsea supporters, many of whom left the stadium at half time with their side three goals behind, thanking them for their support. "That’s all we can focus on now: doing it for ourselves and importantly for the fans, giving them something positive in the last five games," he added.
"They have stuck with us all season. We went over to clap them and they’re still there, so we really have to do it for them. It’s pretty big going into next season. If we can get some results, show we’re a team and give the fans something to smile about, hopefully we can take that into pre-season."
READ NEXT:
Mauricio Pochettino given £29m Chelsea transfer hope amid horrendous Arsenal performance
Man Utd give green light for Todd Boehly to sign Chelsea's 'next Didier Drogba'
What Enzo Fernandez did as Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell argued as Chelsea fall apart vs Arsenal
Every word Frank Lampard said on Chelsea failures, aggression, Noni Madueke and the next coach
Transfer news LIVE: All the latest news and rumours from Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham
