Liam Rosenior’s Cryptic Dig at Chelsea Player After Burnley Draw—Who Did He Mean?

The Blues boss did not hold back in his assessment of the miserable draw.

Liam Rosenior could not hide his frustrations. | Andrew Kearns/CameraSport/Getty Images

Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior managed to stop himself from publicly calling out the target of his wrath following Saturday’s 1–1 draw with Burnley, but only just.

The Blues looked set for a comfortable afternoon when João Pedro netted after just four minutes, but a familiar scene soon followed. A profligate Chelsea side failed to kill off the game and succumbed to a 93rd-minute equaliser, with Wesley Fofana’s second-half red card sandwiched in between.

“An assignment was missed,” Rosenior reflected on Zian Flemming’s late header. “An assignment, a marking assignment, wasn’t done.

“Flemming, we know, is their best header of the ball. And there was a player who I won’t ... I’m not here to throw players under the bus. I will always protect my players. I will deal with it during the week.

“There was a player we assigned that duty who marked the wrong player.”

As he challenged an alleged lack of concentration and accountability from his squad, Rosenior warned: “I’m learning about the players. I’m learning about the people you can lean on when things aren’t going your way and you need to see a game out. That’s something we need to address very quickly.”

Let’s take a look at Rosenior’s potential targets.

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Andrey Santos

Andrey Santos lost his player for the goal. | Izzy Poles/AMA/Getty Images

We first have to look at the incident itself. Flemming was being marked by Andrey Santos, who cannot deny that he failed to track the towering Dutchman’s run towards the front post.

While Santos hardly covered himself in glory, Rosenior’s comments make it clear that somebody else in the squad was supposed to follow Flemming. Whether he went rogue and claimed the task for himself or was simply plugging a gap left by a teammate is a question only he can answer.

As far as Rosenior’s suggestion that some of these players cannot be trusted in high-pressure situations goes, it is highly unlikely he will have been looking at Santos. Out of everyone in the squad, Rosenior will know the young Brazilian best after their mutual time at Strasbourg and has demonstrated a clear trust in Santos in the past.

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Josh Acheampong

Josh Acheampong’s inexperience has shown at times this season. | Andrew Kearns/CameraSport/Getty Images

Josh Acheampong was Chelsea’s final substitute on the day, coming on in the 89th minute in place of Reece James.

When Burnley are lining up to take their corner, three players on the edge of the box are shared between Santos, Acheampong and Moisés Caicedo. The trio made clear gestures to confirm which opponent would be their focus.

Chelsea bill Acheampong at 6'3", two inches taller than Flemming and significantly taller than Santos (5'11") and Caicedo (5'10"). Of those three Blues players, he would clearly be the best fit against Flemming but, once again, it is impossible to know whether Acheampong was doing his assigned job.

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Tosin Adarabioyo

Tosin Adarabioyo has attracted plenty of criticism. | Izzy Poles/AMA/Getty Images

Rosenior turned to Tosin Adarabioyo as his immediate response to Fofana’s dismissal, bringing the 6'6" defender off the bench for the closing stages.

Clearly, Tosin’s frame would make him most suitable to stop Flemming, but the 28-year-old did not pick up an opponent and instead stood alone at the front post, eventually being blocked off and unable to challenge the Dutch striker as he was beaten to the ball. Again, we have no idea of knowing whether he should have been there.

Looking at the statistics, Tosin would also appear to be Chelsea’s strongest option in the air. Nobody in the Blues defence can match his aerial duel success rate of 69.2% in the Premier League this season, although it must be said the rest of his teammates are only marginally lower. Whether he is making the most of his physical advantages is a debate for another day.

Tosin has attracted the frustration of fans on a number of occasions this season for a series of mistakes, and that reputation has led to him being the primary suspect on social media. Without knowing Rosenior’s tactics, however, it is impossible to assign blame.

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Wesley Fofana

Rosenior declined to blame Wesley Fofana. | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

One player who did receive swift backing from Rosenior was Fofana, despite his ill-advised challenge being the catalyst for Chelsea’s downfall.

“That wasn’t on Wesley,” Rosenior said of the result. “That was on our performance.”

While many on social media have questioned Fofana’s future in the Chelsea squad as a result of this blunder, Rosenior clearly felt as though there were bigger issues to address, primarily in the act leading up to Flemming’s equaliser. Given Fofana was not on the pitch, he was not the one under scrutiny.

Rosenior will likely hold his own frustrations towards the red card, which will leave the boss without a starting centre back for the not-so-small matter of a trip to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal next weekend.

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Fofana’s Replacement May Reveal Truth

Rosenior’s decision could reveal all. | Jacques Feeney/Offside/Getty Images

Rosenior will need to replace the suspended Fofana against Arsenal and, given the Gunners’ reputation as set-piece specialists, will likely select his defence based on who he believes can cope best with the divisive blend of football and bare-knuckle boxing often on show at the Emirates.

Trevoh Chalobah appears to be Rosenior’s most-trusted option and is likely to retain his starting spot, but the decision over who starts alongside him may well reveal the true target of his frustrations after the Burnley game.

It may be 20-year-old Mamadou Sarr, one of Rosenior’s most-trusted deputies at Strasbourg, who gets the nod. Standing at 6'4", the Senegal international immediately becomes Chelsea’s second-tallest outfield player, tied with Benoît Badiashile and behind only Tosin in the race to reach the top shelf.

That selection would be a statement in itself, but eyes will soon turn to the bench to see who emerges first or whether any big names fail to make the matchday squad. Either way, Rosenior can ill-afford to get this wrong against a side with Arsenal’s attributes. This is perhaps the worst possible time to be having a public issue defending corners.

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