Joe Cole praises academy ‘heartbeat’ of Chelsea while Chris Sutton derides ‘embarrassing’ Norwich City

A battering for the bottom club which leaves them looking bereft of organisation or a route to positive results

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Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole was full of praise for the club’s academy system as a variety of graduates flourished in the 7-0 victory over Norwich City at Stamford Bridge.

Mason scored a hat-trick after going 25 matches for club and country without finding the net, while Callum Hudson-Odoi and Reece James also scored with a couple of smart finishes and Ruben Loftus-Cheek impressed in a second-half cameo.

“I get accused as an ex-player of being a bit of a cheerleader [for Chelsea],” the ex-England international said on BT Sport, “but there is nothing negative to say at the moment. Everything the club is doing is spot on.”

The character and leadership qualities shown by the young English players are strengths Cole is particularly impressed by. He added: “Mason Mount stood up in midweek and said ‘It’s about time I scored a goal.’

“Couple that with Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all out of the academy too. If you asked Roman [Abramovich] when he took over the club what he would have wanted, it would be a club where everyone is enjoying themselves and young academy players coming through being the heartbeat of the club.

“We’ve seen with Manchester United that’s when success happens. Everything is going so smoothly and the fans are enjoying themselves.”

Former Norwich striker Chris Sutton, meanwhile, was scathing in his assessment of the Canaries performance and decisions made by manager Daniel Farke.

“Oh absolutely [losing in this manner] was embarrassing”, the ex-Celtic man said. “They have taken small forward steps recently but that’s an enormous one backwards today. The biggest thing was the fear Norwich played with. They conceded the goals and looked around at each other.

“It’s a lack of leadership and I have to say I think the manager got it horribly wrong at half-time. You’re three down against the Champions of Europe and he wants to go man-to-man with Chelsea?”

Despite his criticism of Farke’s approach, Sutton believes the German should be allowed to continue in charge.

“The way he set up was so naïve. I like him a lot, I think he’s done a really good job. But losing in that manner today people will be asking questions: Is he the right manager to take them forward? I think he is. He signed a four-year deal in the summer and we’re nine games into a Premier League season. I think the next couple of games are crucial for him.