New Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior was at Craven Cottage on Wednesday night to witness his side lose 2-1 to Fulham.
Rosenior would not have been impressed with Marc Cucurella, who picked up a silly red card in the 22nd minute.
It was Chelsea’s seventh sending off this season. As well as the Blues’ ill-discipline, Cole Palmer’s inconsistency since returning from injury should also be of concern to Rosenior. The attacking midfielder put in a very mixed performance at Craven Cottage.
Marc Cucurella’s red card vs Fulham was Chelsea’s fifth in the Premier League this season! 🔴
How does Liam Rosenior solve Chelsea's disciplinary problem?
Chelsea players to have been sent off:
Marc Cucurella
Moises Caicedo
Malo Gusto
Trevoh Chalobah
Robert Sanchez
Referee Peter Bankes shows a red card
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
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Pedro Neto was not at the top of his game either, yet the Portuguese still managed to impress his compatriot Marco Silva.
Manager of Fulham Marco Silva looks on during the Premier League match between Fulham and Chelsea
Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
Marco Silva impressed with Pedro Neto’s ball carrying
While he did not get an assist in the end, it was Neto’s ball into the box from a corner that eventually found its way to Liam Delap, who scored Chelsea’s equaliser.
However, bar that moment, the winger did not create too many other opportunities for the Blues. Again, it was not his best performance.
With that being said, Silva thought he carried quite a threat with his dribbling.
What does Liam Rosenior have to do to get the best out of Cole Palmer?
A very mixed performance against Fulham…
Cole Palmer’s Premier League stats this season:
11 appearances
3 goals
0 assists
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior signing contract and Cole Palmer during game
Credit: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Visionhaus via Getty Images
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In his post-match press conference, which has been shared by Fulham’s official club website, Silva said: “I believe that second half, we did switch off sometimes, and because of that we gave some offensive transitions for them and dangerous moments from them — Neto carried the ball very well, or some moments with Palmer.”
Neto played on the left wing on Wednesday night but has spent most of the season on the right. It will now be interesting to see how Rosenior utilises the 25-year-old.
Chelsea's Pedro Neto during the Premier League match between Fulham and Chelsea
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
Shocking Pedro Neto stat
As Silva has highlighted, Neto can cause problems with his dribbling and pace. His crossing is also quite good at times, though that was not the case at Craven Cottage.
According to Sofascore, the Portugal international attempted 12 crosses, but only one of them was accurate.
With a big and physical centre-forward like Delap on the pitch, Neto should have been able to do better.
There is a lot of competition on the wings. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers star needs to improve if he wants to keep his place in the team.
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