Wenger slams Chelsea trio made to look foolish by on-loan Liverpool ‘artist’

Arsene Wenger during the Graham Norton Show on BBC1, TEAMtalk

Arsene Wenger chastised no fewer than three Chelsea players for their part in on-loan Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino’s goal for Southampton.

Chelsea were made to settle for a point apiece with a woefully out of form Southampton at St. Mary’s.

The Blues’ undefeated streak since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel continued. But in a hotly contested race for the top four, this will go down as two points dropped.

Southampton took the lead through Japanese international Minamino. The on-loan Liverpool attacker capitalised on a huge gap left between centre-halves Cesar Azpilicueta and Kurt Zouma.

To add insult to injury, Minamino sat Azpilicueta down with a fake shot before cutting inside and slotting past the stricken Edouard Mendy.

The goal both impressed and baffled ex-Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

Speaking in his role as a pundit for beIN SPORTS (via the Daily Express), Wenger concluded: “[Minamino’s] composed despite the fact they’re under huge pressure, Southampton.

Takumi Minamino TEAMtalk

“This guy is an artist in his mind but I would say it was as well an art of bad defending from Chelsea.

“Zouma has turned completely, the space between him and Azpilicueta, look where Reece James is. He should be in there and Azpilicueta much more in.

“There’s no communication but what the striker does is exceptional.”

 

Tuchel slams 30-minute man Hudson-Odoi

Thomas Tuchel TEAMtalk

Meanwhile, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel voiced his anger at Callum Hudson-Odoi’s efforts after the frustrating draw.

Substitute Hudson-Odoi was in the spotlight at full-time. He replaced the injured Tammy Abraham at half-time but was hooked 30 minutes later and replaced by Hakim Ziyech.

Tuchel told BT Sport: “Clearly yes, we had all the chances and all possibilities to take the win, it would have been deserved, sometimes in football you concede one chance and they score.

“I am not concerned about Tammy Abraham, it was not about the injury, it was hard for him to show his quality. He could not put his stamp in this game so we changed the formation.”

Asked about Hudson-Odoi, Tuchel replied: “No, it was not injury-related; I was not happy with his attitude, energy and counter-pressing.

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