New Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior has wasted no time making an impression on Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher.
Since taking over at Stamford Bridge, Rosenior has overseen three matches, including a 3-2 loss to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final.
Chelsea responded well to that setback, securing a 2-0 win over west London rivals Brentford last Saturday, giving Rosenior his first Premier League victory with the club.
Carragher has since analysed both that match and the defeat to Arsenal.
Jamie Carragher points out unusual Wesley Fofana role in Chelsea vs Arsenal
During the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal, Carragher picked up on an interesting detail: Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana was tracking Martin Odegaard all over the pitch.
Carragher noted that it was something he had not seen before.
Speaking about Rosenior’s approach, he told Sky Sports: “The man-to-man marking here with Fofana, I’ve never seen this before with a centre-back, who’s the left-sided centre-back in the back four, crossing over to the other side of the pitch and ending up on the right with Odegaard.
“So Odegaard’s started on the left, tried to drag Fofana over, ‘Will he come with me? Will he or won’t he?’ He does. And as I said, he’s the left centre-back in a back four. I’ve never seen that before.”
Chelsea will get their chance to level things up when they head to north London for the second leg of their tie against Arsenal on February 3rd.
Before then, their attention will be split between the Premier League and the Champions League. The Blues are scheduled to play Pafos this Wednesday and urgently require a victory.
Liam Rosenior’s bold man-marking could backfire for Chelsea
Carragher also pointed out a potential issue with Rosenior’s aggressive man-marking approach during his breakdown of the match.
In the victory over Brentford, left-back Marc Cucurella was seen moving into midfield to follow one of Keith Andrews’ players, leaving Alejandro Garnacho covering the full-back position.
Brentford did not take advantage on that occasion, but it is something Chelsea will need to be wary of going forward. Opponents who spot these gaps may look to exploit them as the season progresses.
Overall though, Rosenior has made a promising start at Stamford Bridge. He has picked up two wins from his first three games and still has an opportunity to reach the Carabao Cup final if Chelsea can overturn their deficit against Arsenal next month.
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