In an exclusive interview with FootItalia, Marcel Desailly predicted that Arsenal will once again fall short in their quest to win their first Premier League title since 2004.
Desailly was quick to warn Manchester United supporters that the bounce they are currently enjoying under Michael Carrick will soon come to an end.
The World Cup winner is, however, adamant that Chelsea will qualify for the Champions League but launched a withering attack on Tottenham – claiming the club simply does not have a winning mentality.
Read the full interview below.
Marcel Desailly Exclusive Interview with FootItalia
Q: Chelsea threw away another lead at the weekend against Burnley and also had yet another player sent off in Wesley Fofana this time. The same problems that were there under Enzo Maresca seem to be continuing under Liam Rosenior. Why do you think that is the case?
Marcel Desailly: The ownership has done well over the past three seasons – they decided to restart Chelsea with new players and rebuild around younger, quality talent. But there have been a couple of managers who haven’t been able to match their philosophy to the players they had. Maresca did well last season. Come on – we’re Club World Champions. But he became perhaps too tactically clever for the squad he had. Like De Zerbi at Marseille, every time a manager can identify his squad and match it with his philosophy, it works. But when he starts wanting to shift and twist the tactical setup – changing players’ positions too frequently – even mentally strong players can lose their way.
That’s why Maresca had to go in the end: he didn’t bring the players with him. Liam Rosenior is in the same position now – he needs to win the players’ belief. He doesn’t have a long managerial background and he needs to build that trust. What made Mourinho so effective back in the day was that he won his players over through the training sessions – through the clarity of his philosophy and tactical system, without constant changes. That’s what Rosenior now needs to bring: discipline, first and foremost defensively, and then leadership. The Argentine – enzo Fernández – is providing some of that. Wesley Fofana as well. These young players have the potential to bring leadership, but they need belief through the manager’s philosophy.
Q: In the next round of the Champions League, Chelsea will face either Newcastle or PSG. Which would you prefer for them?
Marcel Desailly: Newcastle. Straightforward answer. Even though Newcastle are a good side, PSG have their own problems in Ligue 1 – they’ve lost a surprising number of matches – but they’ve rediscovered their form. Barcola is back, Dembélé is back, Asensio is at his best, and Ramos has been scoring in the limited minutes Enrique gives him. In the Champions League, I would go for Newcastle. They can play at a very high tempo for spells, but they have their drops, and during those drops you can use your quality to make it work in your favour. Without underestimating Newcastle at all, the answer is Newcastle.
Q: Cole Palmer has had an up-and-down season, and there are rumours he wants to play for boyhood club Manchester United. If Chelsea don’t qualify for the Champions League, are you worried he could try to force a transfer?
Marcel Desailly: Chelsea will qualify for the Champions League. But even if not – fans are educated differently now. It’s about the club, not any one player. Chelsea have the potential to perform without Palmer. He has a long contract, so if he were to leave, significant money would come in that you could reinvest in players who fit the manager’s philosophy. I’m sure he’s giving his best to get Chelsea into the top four. But if his heart is telling him to go – well, I had to choose between Monaco and Marseille once, and I followed my heart. I went to Marseille because I was a fan. Players come and go in modern football, but the club is the priority in the hearts of supporters.
Q: Chelsea play Arsenal on Sunday. What’s your prediction?
Marcel Desailly: You cannot predict it. Chelsea have talented players who can make the difference at any moment. But I believe more in the stability, leadership and consistency that Arsenal have shown. They’ve done well in the Champions League, though they’ve dropped a few points through individual mistakes. There’s also the fear from the last two seasons, when they came so close and didn’t make it. Chelsea would need to be really intense, really committed, to match the quality Arsenal have shown over the past couple of years.
Q: You touched on it – the individual mistakes Arsenal are making. Declan Rice against Tottenham, Raya and Gabriel against Wolves. Is that pressure, or mental and physical fatigue from playing so many games in so many competitions?
Marcel Desailly: It happens, and unfortunately for Arsenal it always seems to happen at the worst moments. It’s a mix of both the individual and collective – mistakes happen individually, but a disciplined tactical setup should allow the team to cover for them. The squad this year has done very well. Havertz is back, Gabriel Jesus is back, Saka – they all need to raise their numbers on goals and assists to keep Arsenal at the top level.
Q: With ten games to go, are you backing Manchester City or do you think Mikel Arteta’s side will finally get that Premier League trophy?
Marcel Desailly: It’s sad to say, but I still think City will apply enough pressure to overtake Arsenal. Now that they’ve healed and got back to understanding Guardiola’s philosophy through possession, they can really put the fear into Arsenal. And that’s what Arsenal don’t want – the fear. Like in tennis: the fear of the last shot, the fear of the last round. City have an advantage there. They’ve got Premier League titles in their wardrobe already – it’s not life or death for them. For Arsenal, it is. They’re in the gladiatorial arena like in the era of Julius Caesar. And the City squad, along the line, still has the quality to compete for the Champions League and the Premier League at the same time. Arsenal have improved enormously, and that’s why they’ve been able to perform at this level – but I still believe City can do it.
Q: Let’s talk about Michael Carrick at Manchester United. Have you been surprised by the players’ reaction and the results since he took over?
Marcel Desailly: I still believe Chelsea can finish in the top four, by the way – even with Aston Villa, Liverpool and United all chasing those positions. The financial pressure on the clubs is huge. As for Carrick – I think his record is something like six wins from seven matches, which is excellent. This is exactly where changing managers can make a difference mentally. Same squad, but suddenly more committed, more energised. The previous manager, Ruben Amorim was another tactically clever one, like smart Italians – was constantly reinventing positions for players. Carrick simplified it. He put responsibility on each player in their natural position, rearranged the tactical setup slightly, and it’s working. But I don’t think he can maintain that level of consistency with this Manchester United squad. There will be a drop, it’s inevitable. The new manager bounce will level out and then we’ll see.
Q: Do you think Carrick will be the manager at the start of next season, or will they be looking at someone like Robin van Persie, De Zerbi, or Glasner?
Marcel Desailly: De Zerbi is available, yes. Van Persie, no I’m not sure. The key isn’t just results – the only way to know if Carrick will be renewed is how he trains the players, how he motivates the squad, how he handles the pressure day to day. They may have people watching internally. He’s done well, but this level is something new for him – can he sustain it under the pressure Manchester United will bring? That’s the real question. But we’re pleased to see what he’s done. It was so sad to see United struggle for so long, and suddenly you have this magic – the Class of 92 bringing their belief back to the club. A strong Manchester United is good for the Premier League, no doubt.
Q: A quick word on Tottenham – the unthinkable could happen and they could be relegated. They have a new manager in Igor Tudor, but it didn’t help against Arsenal on Sunday. What do they need to do?
Marcel Desailly: Tudor managed Juventus before coming to Spurs – and Marseille and Lazio before that – so he’s been identified as someone who can potentially turn things around. But Tottenham have done this to themselves. For years they were signing players who weren’t quite at the required level and paying them enormous wages. In the world of football, going to Tottenham was about the money, not about winning. That has followed the club around. They won the Europa League last season – well done, finally. But was it enough to bring a winning mentality into the system? They reshuffled administratively, but you saw the complaints from Conte, you saw what Mourinho went through. Managing Tottenham is genuinely difficult. New stadium, new everything – it would be so sad to see them go down. We saw a great derby between them and Arsenal, even if they lost. But the winning mentality is simply not in the blood of this club.
Q: They never really replaced Harry Kane either, did they?
Marcel Desailly: You can’t keep a player who doesn’t want to stay. Harry Kane wanted to leave at any cost – not because of money, but because he couldn’t see himself winning anything at Tottenham. That says it all.
Q: Darwin Núñez is reportedly interested in returning to the Premier League, potentially to Tottenham or Newcastle. Would he fit in at Chelsea even?
Marcel Desailly: I would actually recommend Núñez for Chelsea. He’s a very good player, a smart player – he just needs the right environment to perform. When Liverpool identified his potential they knew what they had statistically. But when you start on a bad note, the confidence disappears and the consideration from those around you follows. It’s like Dennis Bergkamp going to Inter Milan – things went completely wrong. Or Roberto Carlos in his early days, shooting the ball into the stands. The confidence wasn’t there. That’s what happened to Núñez at Liverpool. But the quality is still there. He’s at Al-Hilal now and has scored around six goals in sixteen matches – not bad at all. He’s still only 26.
I’m pleased to see him wanting to come back to European football – it shows money isn’t everything. A club like Chelsea, or the new Manchester United, would be best for him. He needs to be surrounded by established, confident players who know they’re going to play every weekend and who will give him the ball on the first intention. That’s the small detail – when he makes a run, he needs to get the ball immediately. Otherwise he loses confidence quickly. We had something similar with Frank Lampard – magnificent player, but sometimes he would look for another option instead of playing the ball first-time to the striker. You could see the strikers losing their rhythm. Núñez needs that immediate ball. But he’s a quality player and he’s still young enough.
Q: Which current Premier League defender would you most want alongside you in central defence if you were in your prime today?
Marcel Desailly: Saliba and Virgil van Dijk come to mind straight away – the established, known names. I have apologised to Saliba actually. I publicly doubted whether he could be the leader Arsenal needed and whether he could be consistent at the highest level. He’s proven me completely wrong. He’s established himself as a first choice for France alongside Upamecano and Konate, which is no small thing and now he is first choice. As for van Dijk – I like Saliba because he’s not afraid to go one-on-one and he intervenes more proactively. Van Dijk tends to drop a little and let the midfield do more work in the open spaces rather than going to the challenge himself. Both are very good defenders and I could play with either of them. Those are my names.
Q: Finally, Nico O’Reilly of Manchester City, is being talked about as a late inclusion in England’s World Cup squad even? How far do you think he can go?
Marcel Desailly: It’s so nice to see young players coming through like this and making it into the national team conversation. The goals he scored recently against Newcastle were fabulous. But you know how it is – he’s in a magical period right now. He never expected to be at this level, to be a first choice at a club like Manchester City. Even with Rayan Cherki competing for a similar profile – and Cherki is slightly more attacking. O’Reilly has an amazing profile. But the moment that will really tell us what he’s made of is when he fully understands how important he is to the squad and raises his game to match that responsibility. That’s when we can properly judge his ceiling. He has skillful qualities, a little like a taller Lampard. He is absolutely part of the new generation we’re looking for in modern football.
Q: Roberto De Zerbi left Marseille and has been replaced by Habi Beye. Did that surprise you, or did you see it coming?
Marcel Desailly: Coaching Marseille is a real task – even with a strong staff around you. Look at what happened at the start of the season with Rabiot. Look at the problems with the supporters. Look at the issues with management. De Zerbi is a good coach, but he tries to be too clever too often, and the players can’t always follow and understand him. One week three at the back, next week four at the back. The wingers – Mason Greenwood – one day he’s on the right, the next on the left. He’s a good coach De Zerbi but consistency of position, the associations between players – you need regularity, you need to know the players around you week after week. He has killed Benjamin Pavard, who started very well but then lost momentum when the players around him changed.
These are the mistakes he made under the enormous pressure of Marseille. We had the dream, we had the belief, until we lost 5-0 to PSG. But whoever appoints De Zerbi next will make a good move – he’s a top coach. He just needs to redraw himself, like Guardiola had to do after losing some key matches. The thing De Zerbi has to control is the need to feel like he personally engineered every victory. His ego needs to be kept in check. But a hundred per cent, he’s a top coach.