Chelsea have been far from at their best during Saturday afternoon’s FA Cup Third Round tie against Preston North End.
The Blues, who are hosting Ryan Lowe’s Preston at Stamford Bridge, are understandably the game’s favourites.
Despite the home team being 25 places higher in the English pyramid, the Championship outfit have put in a solid first-half performance.
Even though neither side has broken the deadlock after the first 45 minutes, Preston North End have done themselves proud. However, sparking the fury of one Chelsea-focused journalist, the Blues’ latest poor display is ‘criminal’.
Taking to X just before the half-time break, Simon Phillips, who boasts nearly half a million followers, said: “Preston come to The Bridge and have THIS much time on the ball is criminal from us, criminal from Poch.”
Preston come to The Bridge and have THIS much time on the ball is criminal from us, criminal from Poch.
— Simon Phillips (@siphillipssport) January 6, 2024
Should Chelsea fail to come away from this tie victorious, surely the pressure will begin to mount on Mauricio Pochettino, who is still fighting to convince fans his Spurs connections are worth forgiving,