'Gave us problems' - Declan Rice makes honest Liam Rosenior claim after Arsenal vs Chelsea
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Declan Rice admitted that Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior's surprise formation change caused a lot of problems for the hosts despite Arsenal's Carabao Cup semi-final win.
Arsenal clinched the ticket to the Carabao Cup final after the 1-0 win, 4-2 on aggregate, over Chelsea in the second leg of the semi-final.
Neither side created a lot of chances, but Chelsea had to pay for their first-leg defeat and ended up conceding a stoppage-time goal at the Emirates as they threw bodies up front in search of a breakthrough.
Interestingly, Rice said that Rosenior's decision to use a back-three system initially caught Arsenal by surprise.
"Credit to Chelsea to be fair," the England international told ITV1, as quoted by the BBC, in a post-match interview.
"Since their new manager has come in, they've been really, really good.
"They changed the formation tonight and gave us problems. On another night, they could have scored, but credit where it is due, our defence was incredible.
"We have a group who really want it. Whatever team comes at us, we're ready for it. When you play a team like Chelsea they throw so many things at you physically and mentally.
"You've got to have that resilience to stay strong and keep going."
Our journey in the Carabao Cup comes to an end. #CFC | #CarabaoCup pic.twitter.com/1Hfzs9rAQL
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In the end, the 3-2 defeat at Stamford Bridge arguably decided the tie.
It was the one-goal deficit that forced Chelsea make desperate attempts on goal, leaving space for Arsenal and Kai Havertz to grab a late winner in the second leg.
It would be interesting to see if Rosenior would utilise the 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 formation, which he predominantly used at Strasbourg, more often at Chelsea.
Following the recall of Mamadou Sarr from his loan, Chelsea should have enough centre-back options to make it a viable option as a primary formation as well.
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.