Former Arsenal star Perry Groves has indicated that Frank Lampard’s faith in young players at Chelsea could come back to haunt him.
Chelsea suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United at Old Trafford in their opening game of the season on Sunday.
Lampard’s decision to put his faith in young players due to the transfer ban currently in effect on Chelsea has already come in for criticism after just one round of games in this season’s Premier League.
Groves feels that it is all well and good to put trust in youngsters if they are proving themselves on the pitch, which he feels the Chelsea players have not done.
He does not believe Kurt Zouma is good enough to play for a top-six side in the Premier League and feels he did well at Everton as he was not under the same spotlight that he is facing at Chelsea.
The former Gunner also stressed Tammy Abraham is not ready to lead the line for Chelsea at this stage of his career.
Groves said on talkSPORT: “He says he is going to go with the younger players if they play alright in training and they are in on merit.
“That is fine if they are performing in the game and he gives them a chance.
“I do not think Kurt Zouma is a Premier League centre-half of a top-six team.
“He did alright at Everton but you are not under the spotlight as much as at Everton as you are at Chelsea.
“The bar is a bit different and he looked like a player who is really nervous on Sunday.
“His body language wasn’t good, he gave the ball away and the penalty he gave away was a nervous challenge.
“Difficult to judge Mason Mount as he got a few good touches and looked good on the ball, which is alright when you are away at Old Trafford.
“He needs a bit more time.
“Tammy Abraham is not a top-quality centre-forward who is good enough at the moment to play up front for Chelsea.
“Nowhere near.”
Chelsea played out a 2-2 draw after 120 minutes of football in Istanbul in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday night, but were edged out on penalties.
