London, Oct 30 (IANS) French football great Thierry Henry has warned English Premier League (EPL) champions Chelsea saying they are in danger of losing their fear factor after losing two matches at home this season.
Chelsea currently lie in 15th position in the EPL with just 11 points from their opening 10 games and have already lost more matches — five — than they did in the whole of last season.
“At the moment, teams are no longer scared of playing Chelsea. They have seen the likes of Crystal Palace and Southampton win at Stamford Bridge (stadium) and others believe they can do the same,” Henry wrote in his column in The Sun on Thursday.
“Liverpool lost their Anfield (home stadium) invincibility when Arsenal won the league title on the final day of the season in 1989 — and they have struggled to get it back,” the Frenchman, who scored 175 EPL goals for Arsenal during an eight-year spell, added.
“Chelsea have to make sure the same thing does not happen to them and the only way they can do that is by putting a long winning run together.”
The worst start by any reigning champions in the EPL era has left head coach Jose Mourinho fighting to save his job ahead of Saturday’s crucial clash against Liverpool at the Stamford Bridge.
And Henry thinks Mourinho has earned the right to be given time to arrest Chelsea’s alarming slump. The former New York Red Bulls and Barcelona forward insisted there is no sense in sacking the Portuguese tactician that put the Blues “on the football map”.
Chelsea find themselves 11 points behind league leaders Manchester City heading into this weekend fixtures as they look to save their disastrous season.
