Paul Merson fears Cole Palmer will struggle to regain his best form while Nicolas Jackson remains on the sidelines.
The England international cut a frustrated figure last night as the Blues slumped to a second defeat in a week against Brighton as their top four hopes took another hit.
Palmer started the season in sensational fashion but he has struggled in recent weeks and has now gone five games without a goal.
The much maligned Jackson is set to miss a significant chunk of the run inwith a hamstring strain and Merson believes Palmer will be pining for his normal strike partner.
‘They miss Jackson,’ Merson told Sky Sports. ‘Palmer makes Jackson and Jackson makes Palmer.
‘People will go don’t be silly Palmer’s an unbelievable player but you’re only as good as the players you’re playing in front of you.
‘He’s got no movement so what happens is if Jackson doesn’t make those runs, he’s a willing player who stretches the game then Palmer comes in and gets the ball.
‘Now Nkunku comes short, Palmer comes short and everything just closes up.’
On Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League Merson conceded Enzo Maresca’s side now face an uphill struggle.
‘I think they’re right up against it now. It’s going to be difficult. You look at that third goal and it’s worrying for the manager.
‘When you’re playing like they did yesterday, and everyone has these games, as a manager these are the games you look at and see who are the characters, who are the ones who are going to keep on running about, who are the ones who aren’t going to give up, who will keep blocking shots and make sure the games doesn’t get messy. That’s going to be his biggest problem.’
Maresca, meanwhile, criticised the desire of his players as he reflected on the ‘worst performance’ of his tenure.
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Travelling fans chanted ‘we want our Chelsea back’ during a miserable evening compounded by a hamstring injury sustained by Noni Madueke, having sung “we’ve got our Chelsea back” just under two months ago.
‘The reaction is everywhere the same in terms of when you’re winning games the fans are happy and when you don’t win games the fans are upset,’ said Maresca.
‘In this moment, they are completely right to be upset, especially in this moment of the season with the chance to bring this club where this club has to be.
‘Winning you can go one point from third, you can make the gap bigger with the rest.
‘To come here and play in the way we played, not on the ball, in terms of desire, we probably need to show more.’