Ian Wright was ‘very confused’ by Graham Potter’s team selection which cost Chelsea dear against Brighton on Saturday.
Potter’s side were 3-0 down at half-time as the Seagulls swarmed all over the Blues at the Amex, creating chances at will.
The former Brighton boss set Chelsea up with three centre-backs and Christian Pulisic and Raheem Sterling as supposed wing-backs, though they were rarely seen in their defensive third.
Wright was baffled by the decision, particularly with natural full-backs sitting on the bench.
“Well, the wing-backs,” the former England international told BBC MOTD when asked about what went wrong for Chelsea at the Amex Stadium.
“They got [Cesar] Azpilicueta and [Ben] Chilwell on the bench, yet started Pulisic and Sterling. I found that very confusing.
“When you look at the positions that they took up, they weren’t really helping [Trevoh] Chalobah, [Marc] Cucurella, or Thiago Silva.
“What was happening was that they [the centre-backs] got pulled all over the place.
“There is no real cover because Pulisic and Sterling weren’t coming back to help.”
Potter accepted the defeat when speaking post-match as Brighton “deserved” the victory.
“They played well, the atmosphere was really intense here. We didn’t necessarily match that level of intensity,” Potter told Sky Sports.
“We had some opportunities to test the keeper, but it was too open and Brighton were dangerous. We were pushing and pushing and throwing players on, but Brighton deserved it. You have to say congratulations to them.
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“Brighton were better at what they did, so we have to take that as a lesson – even though that’s a painful one for us.
“You have to congratulate Brighton. The intensity was there and we suffered a little bit. The players are an honest bunch – we win and lose together – so we have to take stock and move forward.”
Chelsea host Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Wednesday having already qualified for the knockout stages, before a huge clash at Stamford Bridge against league leaders Arsenal on Sunday.
