Former Chelsea star Ruud Gullit offers damning assessment of his former side - and points out similarity from when he was in charge nearly 30 years ago

Former Chelsea prima and manager Ruud Gullit has offered a scathing appraisal of his erstwhile side.

Gullit played for the Blues betwixt 1995 and 1998, becoming subordinate manager successful 1996 erstwhile Glenn Hoddle near the nine to instrumentality implicit astatine the England nationalist team.

He took the Blues to FA Cup glory successful 1997 - their archetypal large trophy for 26 years - but was sacked the pursuing play with the nine 2nd successful the Premier League and successful the quarter-final of 2 cupful competitions.

That was nether erstwhile proprietor Ken Bates. Since then, the Blues person been done the Roman Abramovic era, and person started their latest ownership tally nether existent bosses Todd Boehly and BlueCo.

But things are nary antithetic to 27 years ago, according to Gullit.

Writing successful The Sun, the Dutchman questioned the existent authorities and called for the nine to yet find an individuality successful a bid to determination forward.

'Chelsea to me, still, is simply a small spot of an enigma,' helium began. 'I don't cognize truly however bully they are oregon however atrocious they are. They are looking for their individuality a small bit. They are trying to creep up the array and possibly successful the agelong word they volition beryllium contenders for the title. But I don't cognize yet wherever they are exactly.

'People archer maine that 1 of the problems with Chelsea is that they alteration the manager each the clip - truthful archer maine thing new!

'I don't get it. I don't get what they really, truly want. Even if they are successful, they inactive sack you arsenic a coach. So I don't know. That's wherefore I accidental Chelsea's inactive an enigma. I effort to find retired what they basal for, what is their doctrine and what is the shot they privation america to watch?'

The Blues person fallen to sixth successful the Premier League array with 9 games near successful the season, but person the accidental to emergence backmost to 4th if they bushed Tottenham connected Thursday evening.

It had looked similar they would beryllium capable to support gait with Liverpool and Arsenal successful the rubric contention earlier successful the season, but they fell disconnected and person been struggling for signifier arsenic of late.

The assemblage is inactive retired connected Enzo Maresca, who has said that Chelsea's players received his connection large and wide aft the Italian was truthful alarmed by the mediocre modular successful grooming past week that helium cancelled their time off.

Ahead of Thursday's showdown astatine location to Tottenham, an in-house affable was arranged betwixt the first-team stars who had not travelled distant connected planetary work and a broadside made up of Under-21s from the academy.

The youngsters won 3-0 - with 19-year-old striker Donnell McNeilly scoring doubly - and Maresca responded by hauling the archetypal squad backmost into Cobham the adjacent morning.

Jadon Sancho was among those not called up for England, and helium has not scored for Chelsea since December 8 — the past clip they faced Tottenham, a 4-3 distant win. Sancho was 1 of the caller signings warned implicit the telephone by Maresca successful the summertime that if helium did not enactment decently during the week, helium would not play.