Paul Merson has slammed Chelsea's display against Wolves in the Premier League, insisting their upcoming UEFA Champions League tie with Real Madrid could end as "a cricket score".
It wasn't to be the perfect start for life back at the helm for Frank Lampard in the west Midlands, as Matheus Nunes's first-half strike condemned Chelsea to an 11th Premier League defeat of the season.
Failing to gather any real head of steam in the second period, the Blues slumped to another poor showing on the road and now sit 11th in the Premier League table with just eight games left to go.
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Set to go toe-to-toe with reigning European champions Real Madrid in midweek, Lampard must now conjure up something of a masterplan to keep the La Liga giants at bay, with the Champions League the only piece of silverware available for the Blues to claim this season.
Merson, who heavily criticised Chelsea's performance across the 90 minutes at Molineux, believes Lampard's side were too negative in their approach and fears for their fate on Wednesday evening at the Bernabeu.
''There was no urgency,'' he said via Sky Sports following the defeat. ''They never went out and moved the ball quickly. It was very slow. For about 15 minutes in the second half, they really moved it quickly, and they were going through Wolves without making any chances…
"My only benefit of the doubt is they’re waiting for Wednesday night. That is the only thing I can think of. If they turn up like that on Wednesday night it will be pointless going to the second leg. It could be a cricket score."
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