Jorrel Hato has come under fire after the mistakes that he made in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Qarabag, but his centre-back partner Tosin Adarabioyo also had a night to forget.
Enzo Maresca made several changes for the trip to Azerbaijan, which saw Hato and Adarabioyo come into the side.
Unfortunately for the Chelsea manager, his centre-half pairing was unable to help the team keep another clean sheet following their 1-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
All in all, Hato and Adarabioyo both struggled, and that will do the latter no favours. He already has his doubters.
Jorrel Hato playing for Chelsea
Photo by TOFIK BABAYEV/AFP via Getty Images
Gabriel Agbonlahor claimed Chelsea wouldn’t win Premier League title with Tosin Adarabioyo
One of Adarabioyo’s critics is former Aston Villa and England striker Gabriel Agbonlahor, who has claimed that Chelsea will not be able to win the Premier League title with the 28-year-old as a starting centre-back.
When Agbonlahor discussed Adarabioyo’s performance against Bayern Munich in September, he said: “I look at [Trevoh] Chalobah and Tosin. I think they’re very good defenders, but they’re going to get you top four season after season. They are not going to win you a Premier League.”
Based on how he performed in the draw with Qarabag, the talkSPORT pundit may have a point. If Adarabioyo and the rest of Chelsea’s defence cannot handle an attack from Azerbaijani football, you have to fear for them.
The former Fulham man and Hato were just not convincing at all as they struggled to contain Qarabag’s forward line.
Hato gave away a penalty and was all over the place before Gurban Gurbanov’s side equalised, while Adarabioyo also made one mistake that led to a shot, according to Sofascore.
Of course, it is going to be hard for Chelsea to win the Premier League crown with defending like that.
Tosin Adarabioyo during Qarabag vs Chelsea
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC via Getty Images
What Tosin Adarabioyo is still doing well at Chelsea this season
While Adarabioyo may be struggling right now, he still has something to offer. The ex-Manchester City academy player brings experience to Maresca’s team at 28 and can be useful for when dealing with set-pieces, something Chelsea have struggled with this term.
According to WhoScored, he is winning 2.7 aerial duels per game in the English top flight, which is the highest average among his teammates.
Adarabioyo can certainly be a good squad player for the Club World Cup holders. But whether he is at the level to help them finish first in the Premier League table is another matter.