Simon Jordan has questioned the character of Chelsea’s players, suggesting they are “picking and choosing” when to perform after their FA Cup semi-final victory over Leeds United.
The Blues secured a 1-0 win at Wembley on Sunday to set up a final showdown with Manchester City, just days after a listless performance in a midweek defeat to Brighton. Enzo Fernandez scored the winner , heading in a cross from Pedro Neto.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Jordan argued that the contrast in displays across the two matches is a damning indictment of the dressing room culture at Stamford Bridge.
“Is this a fraudulent Chelsea dressing room?” former Crystal Palace owner Jordan asked. “They turned up for a semi-final and offered a performance, whereas the game before, I’m sorry, it was awful to watch and they didn’t apply themselves.”
Interim head coach Calum McFarlane defended his squad following the Wembley win, insisting that their “character shouldn’t be questioned.”
However, Jordan dismissed the caretaker manager’s stance as an inevitable consequence of his temporary position.
“He’s 12 years of age and isn’t going to say anything different, is he?” Jordan joked.
“If he opened his mouth and questioned the character of those players, he’d be on the receiving end of the same thing Liam Manning was.”
He added: “Even if you don’t understand what the manager is asking you to do, you can run around and make yourself look busy and put your foot in. They did none of that against Brighton, and that is a question of their character.”
Jordan also took aim at the club’s ownership and recruitment strategy, suggesting the focus on young players on long-term contracts has created an environment lacking in leadership.
“You’ve got a young manager that doesn’t really understand all the aspects of running a big football club, and you’ve got young players that are developing,” he said. “How can that be a completed picture?”
Despite the achievement of reaching a major final, Jordan remains unconvinced that Chelsea can overcome Manchester City unless Pep Guardiola’s side are significantly distracted by their Premier League title race.
“On paper, you can’t see this Chelsea side really troubling Man City in any individual game,” he said. “They’ll meet an immovable object in Manchester City. The balance of probability is that City will turn up in this FA Cup final and it’ll see off Chelsea.”