You do not have to be a football expert to know that Liam Rosenior is not walking into an easy job at Chelsea.
Rosenior takes over a Chelsea team that have won just one game from their past nine Premier League fixtures.
Cole Palmer’s form is also a bit of a concern. The attacking midfielder played well in the second half of Chelsea’s defeat to Fulham, but his performance levels in the first 45 minutes and previous games have not been where they usually are.
Chelsea have lost three consecutive FA Cup finals! 😳
- 2022: Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool (Liverpool win 6-5 on penalties)
- 2021: Chelsea 0-1 Leicester City
- 2020: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea
You’re now in Liam Rosenior’s shoes. Do you go strong in the competition this year or play a weakened side? Let us know below!
To make things even more difficult for Rosenior, several players are also out injured.
- READ MORE: What Chelsea sources have told German media about Liam Rosenior recalling Aaron Anselmino
Malo Gusto limped out of Craven Cottage
Levi Colwill, Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo are currently sidelined, and it looks like Malo Gusto could join them in the stands.
Journalist Bobby Vincent has shared on X that Gusto limped out of Craven Cottage following his side’s 2-1 loss to Fulham.
Rosenior will be hoping that it is nothing serious and that the right-back is fit enough to play on Saturday.
Chelsea have another London derby, taking on Charlton Athletic in the third round of the FA Cup. If Gusto does miss the game, Reece James or Josh Acheampong could start instead.
With it being a cup game, Acheampong is likely to be in contention to start in the right-back position anyway. After Charlton, Chelsea face Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
Malo Gusto has been Chelsea’s best full-back this season
It took a while for Gusto to adapt to playing as an inverted full-back under Enzo Maresca. Even in the early part of the current campaign, the 22-year-old struggled in the role.
However, as this season has progressed, Gusto has really improved and become effective. The Frenchman has even managed to score a couple of goals in the Premier League.
START, BENCH, SELL: Marc Cucurella, Reece James and Malo Gusto
Which order are you going with? 🤔
In the 2024/25 and 2023/24 campaigns, Gusto did not score at all. Overall, you would still probably say that James and Marc Cucurella are the better full-backs, but the former has spent a lot of time in midfield lately, while the latter has not been as much of a threat going forward compared to last year.
Cucurella has not found the back of the net this term and was sent off on Wednesday night. Right now, he is definitely not at the top of his game.
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