Former Chelsea star, Ruud Gullit, is worried that Liam Rosenior has started making bad mistakes which make one of his players feel upset.
He said it was the manager’s error that contributed to the team’s loss to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semifinal on Wednesday.
The Blues could not get back into their semi-final against Arsenal after losing the first match 3-2 at Stamford Bridge two weeks earlier.
In an effort to create what might have been a major upset, Rosenior adopted a safety-first approach that has drawn both criticism and concern.
Choosing to play with a back five may have neutralized their opponents, but it came at a cost, as Chelsea were unable to maintain consistent pressure on one of Europe’s most defensive teams.
Liam Delap, who joined the team for £30 million in the summer, had a really tough night as he was deployed on the wing, even though that’s not his usual position, in order to stop Arsenal’s left-back, Piero Hincapie.
The former Ipswich centre forward hardly made an attacking contribution and was substituted on the hour mark.
“Liam Delap was not satisfied with beginning the game on the right wing against Arsenal,” Gullit told Gambling Insider.
“It’s obvious that Liam Rosenior put him in that position so they could send long balls his way, but he seemed completely out of place. I know it was all tactical, but I don’t think Delap looked happy about it at all.
“If you get the ball into the box, then Delap will do his best to get on the end of it, but when you’re asking him to drop deeper into midfield or out wide, then it’s a different story.
“It is unfortunate that Delap did not support Joao Pedro more, as the Brazilian player seemed to be alone in attack.
“I feel like that would have helped both players if they had started attacking together.’ I get why Rosenior arranged it that way, but when Chelsea tried to go for it and attack Arsenal, they couldn’t make anything happen and ended up losing the match.”
Arsenal will face Manchester City in the final of the Carabao Cup next month. Manchester City beat Newcastle United in the other semifinal game on Wednesday night.