George Boateng claims Chelsea can learn a lot from Arsenal, but issues Gunners stern warning in title race

George Boateng spent 13 seasons playing in the Premier League for Coventry, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Hull before returning to England from Greece for a season in the Championship with Nottingham Forest.

Boateng left a coaching role with Aston Villa’s Under-23 side last year to become assistant with Ghana at the 2022 World Cup.

In an exclusive interview with Ladbrokes: Fanzone, the former defensive midfielder gave his thoughts on Chelsea, Arsenal, Jude Bellingham and Liverpool.

Chelsea can learn a lot from Arsenal

My message to Chelsea is simple – be patient. Be patient with these young players and be patient with the manager. The arrivals of the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk and some of the other guys, it shows the intent of the club right now, but you need patience; everyone needs time to gel, and that’s including Graham Potter.

Chelsea have always had great players, both in the first team and in their academy set-ups. You could take a look at their under-18 and under-23 squads right now and identify players who would walk into other Premier League teams, but they don’t get the opportunity to develop in the first team, so they end up being sold on and go on to become really great players. Tariq Lamptey is a prime example of that right now. He was a Chelsea prodigy who didn’t get the opportunity to develop, so he signed for Brighton and now there’s interest in him.

Chelsea can learn a lot from Arsenal, if you look at how they have operated over the last few years, both on and off the pitch. If you look at the position they were in when Mikel Arteta took over, there were so many problems going on with senior players, but gradually they’ve got rid of all of those names, and they’ve given the manager time and freedom, and look at where they are now. Chelsea should look at Arsenal and look at replicating what they’ve done in the last couple of years, and all of a sudden, they’ll have an amazing team.

I worry Arsenal will be victims of their own success

I want Manchester City to win the league, because I’m thinking about things from a long-term perspective. City have the strength in depth to cope with the next campaign as Premier League champions while sustaining a serious challenge for the Champions League trophy, too.

It would be fantastic for the league, though, if Arsenal went all the way. The problem Arsenal have if they do go and win the league this season is where it leaves them next year. Are they then going to be victims of their own success? Come next season, as champions, Arsenal would then be representing England as the best team in the country, going into Champions League nights against some of the best sides in Europe, while then having to come back and maintain high standards domestically. I just worry about their depth and the likelihood of them being able to do that.

I don’t think this squad can cope with that level of fixtures and games, and while I’ve no doubt they’ll add more players in the summer, I still don’t think they’d have enough depth – they’d still be short. I hope they’re not victims of their own success.

Signing Bellingham doesn’t solve Liverpool’s midfield problems

Jude Bellingham is amazing. Everybody in the Premier League is looking at him. He’s the golden boy at the moment. But would signing Bellingham solve Liverpool’s problem in midfield? I don’t think so. Bellingham is more of a number eight who plays box-to-box, almost like Steven Gerrard. But I think Liverpool need to strengthen in that number six position. For instance, how are they going to replace Jordan Henderson?

Fabinho isn’t old by any stetch, but for some reason things aren’t working out with him at the moment, and then you’ve got Thiago – he’s an amazing midfielder, but I feel like when he’s playing for Liverpool, he’s trying to operate too offensively. He’s trying to support the build-up play, but equally he has to be the one who is able to spread passes to the front line. You can’t do both of those roles on your own. To get the best out of Thiago, he needs a number six behind him –  someone like George Boateng! He needs somebody like that, so he can go and express himself in the final third. So, while signing Jude Bellingham would be great, it doesn’t solve the midfield problems Liverpool have.

Sadio Mane was a massive loss for Reds

Jurgen Klopp’s interview after the game told me a lot of about how he approached the Brighton fixture. He was talking about the potential fixture pile-up, and whether or not that would be beneficial to the squad, and then you look at the starting line-up and saw they were light in midfield. It wasn’t a great performance from Liverpool.

If you’re a Liverpool fan right now, you must be scratching your head. What’s next? Do we need to change something? Is something wrong fundamentally? Do we need an overhaul of the squad? I think the obvious observation is that it turns out losing Sadio Mane has been a bigger blow than we first thought it might be.

To sum Liverpool up this season in one word, it’s ‘indifferent’. One week they’ll come out and beat Man City, and then they’ll follow it up with a defeat against Brighton. There’s just no consistency from them right now.