Paul Merson highlights Graham Potter’s biggest problem ahead of ‘massive’ Chelsea v Arsenal clash

Paul Merson has detailed Graham Potter’s big problem at Chelsea amid a rocky start.

Potter hasn’t had an easy start to life at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea now winless in three games in the Premier League, a run that has seen them drop out of the top four. The Blues lost 4-1 to Brighton last weekend, adding to draws against Manchester United and Brentford.

Chelsea were tipped to be among the title contenders this season, but they have performed below par, and that hasn’t changed too much under Potter - at least not yet. It hasn’t been all bad, but the Blues have lacked consistency in performance and results, and that’s not hugely surprising given Potter’s tendency to rotate early in his Stamford Bridge reign.

That, according to former Arsenal star Merson, is what is holding Chelsea back as they look to kick on under the former Brighton boss.

“He got it terribly wrong playing Sterling and Pulisic at wing-back. He needs to get his team right,” Merson said on Sky Sports News. “I don’t know if he is trying to keep people fresh. He is one of the new managers who experiment. If it worked the other day, you see Guardiola do things, and if it works, you think ‘woah, what a genius’, but then it doesn’t work sometimes, like the Champions League final. It’s the same.”

Chelsea face leaders Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, and Merson believes it’s a ‘massive’ game for the Blues and Potter.

“This is a big game for Chelsea this weekend. I think it’s a massive football match,” Merson added. “If you sat down and picked our Chelsea team for this weekend, I don’t think one of us would get it right. We could all pick the Arsenal team. This is the problem, you can’t keep on changing it.

“When you play, you always want to play with people all the time so you get that understanding. It was one of those games the other day where he got it wrong. He got it wrong against man United and he corrected it quickly. I don’t mind that. But he has to get his best team. Fans won’t be happy if they get beat four by Arsenal.”