Worse than Neto: Rosenior must relegate Chelsea flop to the bomb squad
It’s been a hectic start to the year for English football, with one of the main reasons being Chelsea.
The Blues had the Premier League’s attention on New Year’s Day thanks to the announcement that Enzo Maresca had left the club after a year and a half in the hot seat.
The Blues then went up to title-challenging Manchester City with Calum McFarlane in charge, came away with a point, and, as if that wasn’t enough, just a day later, Liam Rosenior was announced as the club’s new permanent manager.
Appointing the Englishman is certainly a gamble, but there are reasons for Chelsea fans to be hopeful, and with how well Strasbourg have been playing, a few players in the Blues’ squad could really benefit from his appointment.
With that said, there are also a few players the manager should move to the bomb squad, including one who is more of a hindrance than Pedro Neto.
What Rosenior could bring to Chelsea
Despite never having worked outside England before and being a relatively young manager, Rosenior’s record in France is reasonably impressive.
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He took charge of 63 games, during which the French side won 32, drew 14, and lost only 17, for a decent points-per-game of 1.75.
Moreover, the BlueCo club qualified for European football for the first time in six years last season and, as things stand, sit atop the Conference League table, with five wins and one draw from six games.
Finally, and this is one of the reasons he could be such an incredible appointment for the Blues, he’s also proven himself capable of working with and getting the most out of a really young side.
For example, in August, Strasbourg were the first team in Europe’s top five leagues to field a lineup of players born in the 21st century.
Now, that’s not going to happen at Stamford Bridge, but the fact that the Englishman is so good at getting the most out of highly rated youngsters can only be an excellent thing for the likes of Estevao, Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho and Jorrel Hato, for example.
With that said, on top of helping some players improve, Rosenior also needs to identify those players who aren’t good enough, including a regular starter who is even more of a problem than Neto and needs to be placed in the bomb squad.
Who will be the biggest loser from Rosenior's appointment?
Now, at this point in time, there is probably a not-so-significant portion of the Chelsea fan base who’d want Neto sent to the bomb squad, and after his performance against City, who can blame them?
However, while the former Wolverhampton Wanderers’ star was incredibly frustrating at the Etihad, he’s still a useful player and has a decent enough tally of nine goal involvements this term.
Moreover, while he can be wasteful, a poor performance from the Portuguese international is unlikely to cause the Blues to lose a game.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Tosin Adarabioyo.
Due to injuries and a need to rest certain players, the former Fulham star has been called into action a lot this season, but to say his performances haven’t warranted the 15 appearances he’s made would be an understatement.
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The 28-year-old could be a useful player for a team lower down the table, but he’s not good enough to provide cover, let alone start games for a side chasing Champions League football, like the Blues are.
Tosin’s 25/26
Competition
EPL
UCL
EFL Cup
Games
9
4
2
Starts
5
3
1
Minutes
557′
239′
90′
Goals
0
0
0
Assists
0
0
0
Points per Game
1.78
1.00
3.00
All Stats via Transfermarkt
That might sound harsh, but on more than one occasion this season, the uncapped defender has cost his side.
Perhaps the most egregious example of this came against Leeds United, when he somehow lost the ball in his own penalty area, which led directly to the hosts scoring, and content creator Tom Overend called him “utterly embarrassing.”
Ultimately, while it might sound unfair, one of the first things Rosenior should do at Chelsea is try to move on from Tosin, and if that doesn’t work, relegate him to the bomb squad.
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