Chelsea captain Reece James has hit out at his side after their 2-1 defeat by Legia Warsaw in the UEFA Conference League.
The Blues still progressed to the semi-finals of the competition by virtue of a 4-2 aggregate victory after winning last week’s first leg 3-0, but they put in a dreadful performance at Stamford Bridge and were booed off but supporters.
Legia currently sit fifth in the Polish Ekstraklasa but were the better team as Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson extended their lengthy goal droughts.
The performance was even more damning given Enzo Maresca had selected a near full-strength side for the clash, which comes despite the Blues facing a crunch trip to Fulham on Sunday as they battle to qualify for the Champions League.
And James, who played the full 90 minutes as he continues to ramp up his minutes since returning from injury in January, bemoaned Chelsea’s display.
‘We have no excuses,’ he said. ‘Today was not progress. If anything, it was a step back.
Chelsea captain Reece James bemoaned his side’s display in their defeat by Legia Warsaw
The Blues put in a dismal display as they lost to a side who sit fifth in the Polish Ekstraklasa
Enzo Maresca’s side were booed off despite reaching the semi-finals of the competition
‘It’s going to affect the mindset. It’s going to be in the back of people’s heads. We lost when we shouldn’t have lost.’
The booing at full-time comes with Chelsea fans increasingly showing their frustration in recent weeks after winning just five of their past 16 Premier League games.
Things appeared to come to a head following Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Ipswich when Maresca suggested the negative atmosphere at Stamford Bridge contributed to them falling 2-0 down.
And following more jeers on Thursday, James expressed his sympathy with supporters.
‘I understand the frustration, to be honest,’ he added. ‘Fans come to games to see excitement and goals. We were frustrating to watch.’
Chelsea currently lie sixth in the Premier League and after the aforementioned trip to Fulham on Sunday, they host Everton before a succession of crunch games against Liverpool, Newcastle, Man United and Nottingham Forest conclude their league campaign.