Mauricio Pochettino is ‘tripping himself over not to have a go at his players’, says Martin Keown as he urges Chelsea manager to have ‘harsh words’ after 5-0 drubbing at Arsenal and blasts club’s recruitment

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has urged Mauricio Pochettino to have ‘harsh words’ with his team after watching Chelsea capitulate to a 5-0 defeat by the Gunners. 

Mikel Arteta‘s side put the Blues to the sword at the Emirates with a devastating second-half display that saw them move three points clear at the top of the Premier League. 

Chelsea, on the other hand, without their talisman Cole Palmer, fell to their 11th defeat of the campaign. Nevertheless, Pochettino was reluctant to publicly admonish his players in his post-match interview. 

Keown, though, believes the time has come for the former Tottenham boss to have strong words with his young squad, many of whom have arrived at Stamford Bridge for large fees.

‘The balance of recruitment has been wrong and they’ve spent a fortune, billion pounds and worth of signings.’ He said on TNT Sports. ‘It’s unbelievable. There has to be some harsh words, and it has to be from the manager as well. 

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown believes the time has now come for the Chelsea boss to have ‘harsh words’ with his team

Chelsea suffered their biggest ever defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates on Tuesday night

‘He’s tripping him over himself not to have a go at these players. I see that he’s mindful, but the messages are not there for the players poor start to the match both halves. 

‘You look at the set piece, and that’s down as well. As much as the management is to the players. ‘

Arsenal took the lead after only four minutes on Tuesday night when Leandro Trossard’s low drive evaded Djordje Petrovic at his near post.  However, the Gunners were made to wait until a few minutes before the hour to make the result safe. 

Ben White’s first of the night came from a loose ball in the area in the 52nd minute before Kai Havertz grabbed his 10th goal of the season only five minutes later. 

Both players doubled their tally for the evening in the second period to inflict Arsenal’s biggest ever victory on Chelsea. 

The result leaves the Blues in ninth place as they missed their opportunity to draw level with Newcastle in the Premier League’s top-six. European football remains a realistic objective for the squad, though their quest has certainly been dented after the humbling defeat.

‘It’s frustrating for the for the manager.’ ex-Chelsea winger Joe Cole said. ‘Next game against Aston Villa is crucial because, because they have to bounce back, it has to be a better performance. 

The Blues’ aspirations of European qualification took a massive hit, though them remain only three points off sixth place

‘My phone’s been blowing up. You know, the fans message me so that, and I think they’re there’s losing. The game. And then there’s losing a game to your London rivals in that fashion. And I think that really sticks with the fans.’

Rio Ferdinand added: ‘None of us will be surprised if, come the weekend, Chelsea get a result against Villa. 

‘This is the way this Chelsea team are. That’s them in a nutshell. But what I would say is, Mauricio Pochettino, when he gets an appraisal done at the end of the season, I think that would be one of the first things he says, “What do you expect? I’ve got one of the youngest squads around. I’ve invested in loads of potential, not real end product all over the park.”‘