Tiemoue Bakayoko - Is the recent criticism of his performances for Chelsea warranted?

Tiemoue Bakayoko has received criticism from all quarters for some of his recent performances for Chelsea and I wanted to know if you being a Chelsea fan felt as though it was warranted?

Bakayoko was signed by Chelsea for £40m in the summer and it's important to remember that he is only 23. We are so used to signing top class players year-in, year-out that we come to expect them to arrive, settle down and to reach their best form as quickly as possible but with Bakayoko are we expecting too much?

The reason I say that, and I mean no disrespect when I say this, is that he has come from Monaco in the French league which is not the most competitive or strongest league in Europe. He had exposure to a different level of football last season and really thrived in the Champions League last season as you will all agree. However, a move to the Champions of the Premier League, regarded as the strongest league in world football appears to have given him some problems with adjusting to our style here.

Don't get me wrong, there has been games when he has played really, really well and if you think about Atletico Madrid away - arguably his best game in a Chelsea shirt so far.

It's the big games when you expect these players to stand up to be counted whether it's their first season in a new country and a new league. Signed for big money, you expect them to rise to the occasion and to make some sort of difference for us. Unfortunately, against Liverpool and Atletico he hasn't done that and faces a backlash through the media with some people taking it to extremes in Social Media which is a disgrace really and I ask you all to judge whether or not those making ridiculous comments/abuse are actually worth giving any attention at all.

With anyone coming to a new country there are issues to face. You need to adjust to the lifestyle, to the culture and most importantly the language. If you then add in addition the football side of things with having to understand where you fit in with the managers style, getting to know your team-mates and building a bond it has to be difficult.

Let's not forget that this month is hectic and it would be a good move to protect Bakayoko as often as possible with the games we have coming up to give him more time to get used to the demands of the Premier League. In my view, it would be an ideal opportunity for Danny Drinkwater to play on a regular basis for the next few weeks who of course knows exactly what it takes to be successful in England.

Any player who has a bad game should expect an acceptable level of criticism in my view as should Bakayoko in recent weeks. However, as I said, the ridiculous and extreme levels that I have seen by so-called Chelsea fans who have probably been a fan for 2 or 3 years - is not warranted.

What do you think?