Any chance of a comeback at Stamford Bridge was wiped away in the first 14 minutes as Chelsea fell to a 3-0 defeat to holders Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League Round of 16 second leg. Having gone into the fixture 5-2 down from the first leg, the assignment already presented itself as mission impossible for Liam Rosenior.
While he chose to name most of his star players in the hope that the Blues could conjure something spectacular, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Bradley Barcola struck quickfire goals early on, before 19-year-old Senny Mayulu made it three on the night just past the hour mark. It now means the west Londoners have lost each of their last three fixtures.
Currently tied to a six-and-a-half-year contract under Todd Boehly’s free-wheeling regime, and having only joined the club in January following the departure of the successful Enzo Maresca, the former Strasbourg manager is already under pressure. But from a Chelsea fan’s perspective, it is three players in particular from the midweek defeat that shine a light on the club’s deep-rooted issues.
Chelsea’s Defensive Trio Blamed For PSG No-Contest
Tuesday night saw the first time Chelsea had ever conceded twice in European competition in the first 15 minutes, and it was the makeshift defence – despite experienced options on the bench – that got the harshest critics on social media. One X user remarked:
“With a defence like this, I don’t know what to say. The defenders, like [Trevoh] Chalobah, Malang Sarr, [Jorrel] Hato are not good enough for Chelsea.”
Chalobah was used in his unnatural right-back position, while Hato was shoehorned into the heart of defence, partnering the inexperienced Sarr, when he’s usually a left-back. As a result, it is not just the defenders themselves that can be blamed for such jumbled performances, especially as Tosin Adarabioyo was on the bench.
Another user wrote: “Sarr, Hato, Chalobah and even Cucurella tonight are nothing short of embarrassing”. But while others sought to lay blame on the players, others chose to dig out the manager for his reshuffle at the back, with another writing: “Where is our defence? Rosenior needed to start experienced CBs and a solid midfield tonight.”
More to follow…
