Man Utd vindicated? Chelsea fans turn on Alejandro Garnacho amid 007 threat

Chelsea fans have been hugely critical of Alejandro Garnacho after he was hooked at half-time against Nottingham Forest.

The Argentine was pursued by the Blues all summer, but the former Man Utd winger has yet to come to grips with life at Stamford Bridge. On Saturday, Garnacho lasted just 45 minutes against Nottingham Forest.

Enzo Maresca, who was watching the game from the stands as he was serving a suspension, took Garnacho off at half-time after the winger failed to have much of an impact, only touching the ball 18 times. At one point, teammate Pedro Neto screamed at him to get into better attacking positions.

Garnacho’s performance was reminiscent of some of the outings that used to frustrate supporters at Old Trafford, with the 21-year-old looking sluggish and indifferent. He also left fans bemused by stumbling over the ball during a dribble and by attempting a bicycle kick from an impossible angle.

Chelsea would ultimately run out 3-0 victors in a game that cost Ange Postecoglou his job, but tellingly, all of their goals came after Maresca made three half-time changes, which included hauling off Garnacho.

Chelsea fans frustrated with Garnacho

Chelsea fans have so far been left unimpressed with Garnacho’s impact following his €46.2 million move. There have been glimpses of promise, such as when the winger forced Benfica’s Daniel Rios to put the ball into his own net to hand the Blues a 1-0 Champions League win.

Bizarrely, UEFA awarded Garnacho an assist for that own goal. However, own goal assists typically do not really count, leaving Garnacho at risk of becoming a social media meme for going ‘007‘ – not contributing to a goal in his first seven games. The Forest game was his sixth outing.

One Chelsea supporter wrote on social media that signing Garnacho has “set our project back three years,” while the Man Utd faithful revelled in his poor performance against Forest. Another Chelsea fan wrote: “[The] depressing thing about Garnacho is this is as good as he’ll ever get.

“He’s maxed out off-ball work, and he’s not going to suddenly go another level up athletically. This is what he is. Worst thing is when he lines up a take-on like he’s a young Cristiano [Ronaldo], but he just has no power in his first-step acceleration. Learn to play like [Leandro] Trossard, man.”

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