‘It pains me to say it’ – Johnson insists Chelsea bigger ‘crisis’ than Man Utd right now
Glen Johnson thinks Chelsea are in more of a crisis than Manchester United at this current point in time after they both lost at the weekend.
Man Utd made a terrible start to the new Premier League season but they have managed to rally up to sixth in the Premier League despite some poor performances and results along the way.
Their 2-1 victory over Chelsea in midweek was followed with a 3-0 loss at home to Bournemouth just days later, highlighting the Red Devils’ inconsistency this campaign.
Erik ten Hag has come under pressure over the last couple of months over a lack of improvement in displays and results in general, while there are reports of unrest in the dressing room.
However, Johnson thinks the current situation at Chelsea is worse despite the amount of change at Stamford Bridge under Mauricio Pochettino.
Chelsea are currently 12th in the Premier League and 14 points adrift of the top four positions with Johnson explaning why the crisis with the Blues is worse.
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Johnson told Betfred: “It pains me to say it, but at this very moment, I’d have to say Chelsea. It has to be. Chelsea are 12th in the league and Manchester United are 6th and I know they’re not the Manchester United of old, but they’re only six or seven points away from being involved in the Premier League title race.
“For that reason, I don’t believe they’re in as much of a crisis as Chelsea are.
“Manchester United fans will be fuming with their form this season, so I understand why people claim they’re in a crisis, but when you look at how far away they are in terms of points, it doesn’t look that bad on paper. Being sixth in the league isn’t the end of the world, so I would much rather be sixth than twelfth.”
On how it makes him feel seeing Chelsea struggling, Johnson added: “Of course I don’t want to see them struggling. I want to see them challenging for trophies and being guaranteed a top four finish.
“That’s what a club of that stature should be achieving. It’s frustrating to watch, but I still believe they’ll bounce back and won’t be struggling for a long time to come. However, I did believe they would be climbing the table by now. I’m frustrated by how slow the progress has been, but I do believe they’ll bounce back.”
On Chelsea’s spending, Johnson continued: “The owners have definitely put their hand in their pocket, which is a good thing, but whether Pochettino has signed these players or not is the real question. If these moves were all in the pipeline before Poch took over, then that’s out of his control.
“Any manager’s going to want more money aren’t they? If the club’s owners are prepared to back him with two or three big names, then the manager’s going to want that and push for it.
“He does need some big players and I believe he’s suggesting that he needs a player that’s going to be a big character in the dressing room, has plenty of Premier League experience and will grab the youngster’s attention.
“When you look at their squad, Thiago Silva is the obvious character that stands out, but other than him, who’re the experienced players that are going to grab everybody’s attention and gain a reaction from the players? There are not many players with authority in Chelsea’s squad at this moment in time because they’re all so young.
“They need a couple of older guys that can rally the troops and have that in-game experience that can help Chelsea stop losing games they shouldn’t.”