CHE Adams insists he was not worried about another nine-goal drubbing during the 6-0 Chelsea defeat because “we played much better than the other games”, despite conceding “it wasn’t good”.
Che Adams admitted: “Yeah everyone is not happy with the result. We weren’t at our best but you know, it’s one of those days. Some days you get it wrong and they were very, very good today, everyone knows how well we can press but today wasn’t our day and we have to dust ourselves off and go for next week. When you let easy goals in it’s hard, you dig yourself a hole that we have to climb out of. They were good and it killed the game for the second-half how we conceded so early. It wasn’t good.”
Asked if the previous 9-0 defeats he had witnessed haunted him while manager Ralph Hasenhuttl turned to damage limitation,
Che Adams insisted: “Not so much today actually, no. We played much better today than the other games, we created chances but they were clinical in front of goal and took their chances.”
If it was not for 34-year-old out-of-contract goalkeeper Fraser Forster, it just might have been anyway. Forster faced 14 shots on target from the Chelsea onslaught – in comparison to Saints’ solitary one in reply – making eight saves, including efforts right in the bottom and top corners. Timo Werner and Mason Mount were both denied certain goals that would have eventually added up to their hattricks, yet Forster did not face another shot after the 61st minute – as the European champions took their foot off the gas. The only criticism you could have had of Forster was that his early miskicking did little to settle the nerves, before Chelsea’s grip began to strangle the home side.
Che Adams admitted: “He saved a few attempts on goal and we didn’t protect him enough defensively as a team, definitely. It’s really a shame when you’ve got a keeper that’s doing everything he can do but we didn’t help him.”
While some fans vented their frustrations towards the team or manager at half-time, Adams adds that most of the support was picked up on by the players.
Che Adams continued: “The majority of the fans stayed and were clapping us towards the end so we really appreciate that. It’s not nice as a player or as a fan to sit here and watch your team go through that but we have to dust ourselves down and go again next week.”
