Speaking exclusively to SafestCasinoSites.co.uk, former Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona midfielder Emmanuel Petit expressed his worries about Chelsea’s situation following their loss to Manchester City.
The Frenchman thinks the Gunners need another winger, midfielder and striker to compete for the Premier League title.
Petit believes Carlo Ancelotti has a big problem trying to figure out how to fit Kylian Mbappe into the Real Madrid starting XI as the Los Blancos struggled in their opening LaLiga game against Mallorca.
Please read the full interview below:
Q. Raheem Sterling was left out of the Chelsea squad yesterday and it looks like he’s being sold – is that the right decision by Chelsea?
EP: “This example with Raheem Sterling is going to happen in every game for Chelsea because they have so many players, someone is going to be left out. I’m pretty sure there will be a lot of unhappy players at the club because of the squad size. How can you make a first XI with a new manager, new philosophy and loads of new players?
“The stability is not there, in the starting XI and on the bench. Sterling is the first example, many more cases will come.
Q. What happens to Sterling now?
EP: “Nope, Arsenal won’t sign Raheem Sterling.
“Since Sterling left Liverpool, he hasn’t improved a whole lot at Manchester City and Chelsea. Sterling can have big moments but there is no consistency in his performances. He still needs to improve his final ball and needs to score more, this is the main problem. This is something that Mikel Arteta will not want in his team, he wants young and hungry player, Sterling won’t improve more than another young winger.”
Q. What was your reaction to Kovacic, who Chelsea sold for £25m, run through Caicedo and Enzo, who both cost a combined £220m, and score a brilliant goal?
EP: “Watching Mateo Kovacic run through the midfield of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez did not make sense to me, because of the money spent and how little Kovacic was sold for. This is the reality of not making the right decisions in football, you suffer the results every time.”
Q. Marc Cucurella got a lot of stick for his chant about Erling Haaland then he conceded to him – is that the best version of karma in football?
EP: “Erling Haaland scoring against Marc Cucurella is probably karma. It reminds me of times before big games when I was playing and some players would say a lot in press conferences. In my teams, we always said never to talk big about a player before a game otherwise that could turn into a weapon against us. That talk could motivate the opposition’s player to perform even better, like it did to Haaland. At the end of the day, people will say Cucurella got what he deserved and he’ll learn from it, but I found it funny.”
“Next time, don’t take the piss out of your opponent, shut your mouth, win the game and trophies and that’s it, stay humble.”
Q. What’s the best thing that could happen for Conor Gallagher now given what has happened so far this summer?
EP: “Chelsea should try to keep Conor Gallagher. In modern football, sometimes you don’t have an Englishman in the starting XI and Chelsea need his English presence in the squad. It really reminds me of the Mason Mount situation, both players were happy to stay at the club and both have been forced out. Gallagher, alongside Cole Palmer, was the only positive player last season. Even if he leaves Chelsea, I don’t want to see him leave the Premier League – he deserves more than what’s happening to him with Atletico Madrid. Gallagher belongs in England, he’s built up his career through loan moves and then became captain at Chelsea, he deserves better than this. Why are Chelsea getting rid of their best midfielder for loads of unknown young stars? It’s a massive gamble to splash millions on these foreign players, if I was Gallagher I’d be so pissed off, it’s a pity.”
Q. Do you feel sorry for Nicolas Jackson and does this show Chelsea need to sign a striker?
EP: “Nicolas Jackson does try hard but it just hasn’t worked out. But, every time something hasn’t worked out, Chelsea has spent money to fix the issue and it’s not always worked. There are players in the squad. There needs to be stability to establish confidence in the squad, then they will start performing. One loss should not mean you have to spend millions on a new player.
“The Manchester City game was one of the worst games I’ve seen Cole Palmer play too, I’m worried about a lot of the players, they’re all struggling. If you change Jackson, it will be the same question and story for the next striker. Chelsea need to keep the spine of the team. I have no idea what the club is going to do.”
Q. Cole Palmer extended his contract to 2033 – if Chelsea can’t compete for the league title anytime soon, should he have left for a better and more stable football club?
EP: “Try to put yourself in the player’s shoes. If you’re Cole Palmer and you’re offered a contract extension that guarantees more years you will be paid an incredible wage, you take that offer. It’s impossible to reject a nine-year contract where you’re guaranteed money until then, it’s paradise for players.
“Chelsea’s rivals who can match what they’re paying their players won’t rush in to try to sign their players. You can just watch the players become unhappy and potentially force a move out of Chelsea, and those rivals will be waiting in the transfer market for those opportunities. Chelsea will bring in more big-money signings, then if they continue to struggle they will end up selling key players like they did with Conor Gallagher.
“Chelsea’s squad is the best market for Premier League clubs. I wonder what Pep Guardiola was saying to Palmer after the game, maybe he was apologising for letting him go.”
Q. What’s your prediction for the Chelsea vs Servette game?
EP: “Servette is a good opportunity to get some European football experience for the players, especially as it’s at Stamford Bridge. It will be important for Enzo Maresca to start his Chelsea career with wins. It will be another opportunity to find the best starting XI.”
Q. Kai Havertz has had a great start to the season – has that proven that Arsenal may not need another striker?
EP: “Arsenal still need another striker. Despite Kai Havertz’s great start against Wolves, he can play alongside another goal threat. He’s so happy in the team, the environment has helped him massively and he’s playing with a lot of friends. Despite that, Arsenal need to win trophies this season, they need to buy a striker to take them there.”
Q. What do Arsenal need to do differently to win the Premier League this season?
EP: “Arsenal need to add more players in the squad to win the Premier League and Manchester City are still the standard they have to reach. They’ve added Savinho, who looks brilliant and is still the team to beat. I think this year will be the one for Arsenal, they’ve continuously improved for years and on the current trajectory, the gap between Arsenal and Manchester City will be barely anything.
“Arsenal need a winger, striker and midfielder to boost their chances of winning the league.”
Q. What did you make of Liverpool’s win against Ipswich? Do you see them as title rivals to Arsenal?
EP: “I was really impressed with Arne Slot’s Liverpool against Ipswich. They looked confident and showed composure, the second half was breathtaking. This is the perfect start for Liverpool, especially away from home against a promoted team who could have caused issues. I expect Liverpool to compete with Arsenal and Manchester City for the Premier League title, they will at least finish on the podium. They could still add players to the team which could improve their chances even more.”
Q. Do you think Joshua Zirkzee will be a big success at Man United?
EP: “Joshua Zirkzee’s goal was very lucky but his start could be a sign of many things to come for him. If you’re scoring a last-minute winner with your first shot on goal, it could be seen as destiny or fate. Man United could have killed the game earlier on, Zirkzee saved the three points for them and I think Erik ten Hag will be very pleased that he’s already contributed. The start of the season is always the most important time for a player, if you start well then you can avoid the noise and continue playing how you are.”
Q. We’ve already seen the imbalance when playing Bellingham, Mbappe, Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr., does Ancelotti need to bench or sell one of them to have a more balanced team? If so, who?
EP: “One of the main questions of Kylian Mbappe’s transfer to Real Madrid is ‘can he play as a striker?’. He has already established with France and PSG that his favourite position was left winger, now he’s joined the team with probably the best left winger in the world with Vinicius Jr.
“Mbappe is not the same player as Karim Benzema, Carlo Ancelotti will have to figure out this problem and he has to be clear about what he expects from the players in each position. Maybe he will change the formation to accommodate two strikers? I don’t know, it’s a tough one.
“Mallorca always cause problems for teams in La Liga, but that’s not an excuse why Mbappe had no opportunity to score or create any chances. It could be a worry for Ancelotti because there will be a lot of pressure from the fans and the media. You can see Real Madrid are missing Toni Kroos massively.
“Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni all need to step up in Toni Kroos’ absence because Luka Modric can’t play every game.”
