Micah Richards has blasted Chelsea's centre-backs as not good enough following the defeat to Sheffield United.
The Blues went down to a 3-0 loss that has left them looking over their shoulders at the teams below them in the race for the top four.
It was a disappointing performance that was blighted by defensive errors that left the Blues chasing the game.
Speaking on Sky Sports post-match, Richards backed Frank Lampard's angry post-match interview and said that Chelsea's defence needs to improve.
Richards said: "He's angry and he's right to be.
"You've got Christensen, Zouma and Rudiger and, I'm not one to criticise players, but for the level they want to go to, they're not good enough.
"They're not performing good enough at this moment of time.
"He brings on Rudiger for the second half to shore up things and he ends up costing them a goal.
"I can understand his frustration there."
Richards also felt the defeat was down to the Blues not responding to the pressure of being the team to catch in the race for the Champions League.
He said: “It’s the pressure as well. Chelsea have got teams just behind them.
"They know if they slip up, Sheffield United can play the game with freedom because they’ve already done what they needed to do.
"I agree with you, if you look at the two squads… Chelsea’s blows them out of the water.
"Sometimes, the expectancy of achieving something becomes far greater if you’re a bigger club, let’s say."
