Joe Cole condemns Benoit Badiashile’s role in Chelsea’s humiliating defeat to Arsenal
Joe Cole didn’t mince his words when dissecting Chelsea’s humiliating 5-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal. In a scathing assessment, Cole pinpointed Benoit Badiashile’s failure to ‘set the tone’ as a crucial factor in Chelsea’s downfall.
The match started on a sour note for Chelsea, with Leandro Trossard finding the net within the opening five minutes. While young talents Alfie Gilchrist and Dorde Petrovic initially faced scrutiny for Trossard’s opener, Cole shifted some blame onto Badiashile.
‘Do you know what? That first 10 minutes sums up Chelsea’s season,’ former Blues star Cole said on TNT Sports.
‘They played themselves back into the game, made chances. But I think it [the first goal] comes from Havertz.
‘Badiashile has got to go with him and set the tone. You must be thinking all week, “I’m playing Havertz. I’m gonna stop him”.
‘And in the first five minutes he’s let him stroll around midfield. It was so passive.
‘And poor Gilchrist, he’s got his work cut out. He’s got Declan Rice running at him and Trossard on the outside. It just spells out Chelsea’s game in that half.’
The French centre-back narrowly escaped conceding a penalty in the first minute after fouling Kai Havertz, but his inability to contain the in-form Arsenal attacker left a lasting impact.
Cole’s critique echoed at halftime, highlighting how Arsenal’s early goal established a dominant rhythm that Chelsea struggled to break.
The defeat saw Arsenal leapfrogging title rivals Liverpool at the top of the table, sending a resounding message to the Premier League elite.
While Mikel Arteta’s side enjoys a three-point lead, Chelsea finds themselves reeling from a sobering loss that raises questions about their defensive stability.
As Arsenal basks in the glory of their emphatic victory, Chelsea faces a daunting task of regrouping and addressing defensive lapses that could derail their title aspirations.
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