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Opinion: Liam Rosenior's first big call must be to drop Chelsea star after poor display vs Man City

The incoming Chelsea manager has been shown there is plenty of life in the squad still with their performance and result against Manchester City.

Liam Rosenior was mid-flight to London as the Blues rescued a 1-1 draw against the Premier League title contenders thanks to Enzo Fernandez’s late goal, with them improving greatly in the second half.

This came off the back of Calum McFarlane’s substitutions, bringing Andrey Santos and Liam Delap into the game to great effect.

How good was Andrey Santos against Manchester City? 👏

Andrey Santos' pass completion rate vs Man City

Photo by George Wood/Getty Images

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In truth, Chelsea could have drawn level earlier in the game when Pedro Neto was teed up in the box, only for him to fire an unconvincing effort over the crossbar.

Manchester City v Chelsea - Premier League

Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images

Liam Rosenior needs to drop Pedro Neto at Chelsea

Fernandez’s frustration at Neto was clear to see, and he mirrored the reaction of Blues supporters who have not seen enough from the Portuguese winger of late.

Rosenior will want to make his mark on the squad early, and one decision he could make which would send a real message is dropping the winger to the bench.

It is now six Premier League games without a goal for Neto, despite the fact he has played the 90 minutes in five of those games.

The wide attacking areas has not been the strongest for Chelsea in recent months, and should be one of the positions Rosenior addresses first with the players he already has available to him.

Liam Rosenior, Manager of Strasbourg, applauds the fans

Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Pedro Neto alternative is clear to see

Estevao Willian also started against Manchester City, and did not have his best game before being subbed off at half-time.

Liam Rosenior set to be announced as Enzo Maresca replacement ⌛

Liam Rosenior stats at Strasbourg

Photo by Sathiri Kelpa/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

Enzo Maresca at Chelsea:

91 games

55 wins

16 draws

20 losses

Is this a step backwards, or another exciting young manager who will hit the ground running at Chelsea?

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However, Estevao is the best signing made when Enzo Maresca was in charge, despite being held back by the former manager.

It was clear that the Italian was looking to protect the youngster, although it was starting to come at the expense of his current side.

Estevao needs to be given more opportunities under Rosenior, and he can be buoyed by the fact that the incoming boss has plenty of experience getting the best out of younger players.

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