Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea career has officially got under way with the trip across London to take on Charlton in the FA Cup.
The Englishman watched from the stands as the Blues were defeated 2-1 in the West London derby in the week, with Calum McFarlane taking charge.
Rosenior made eight changes to the side who faced Fulham in the week, clearly wanting to take a look at as many first team players in his early days as possible.
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Eight changes in total!
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Moises Caicedo was afforded a start. He is set to miss the EFL Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal in the week due to a suspension.
Charlton Athletic v Chelsea - Emirates FA Cup Third Round
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Liam Rosenior makes statement by starting Andrey Santos in first Chelsea game in charge
His partner tonight though is not Enzo Fernandez as usual. This time, Andrey Santos has been handed the start alongside the Ecuador international.
It is the third start in a row for Santos, although his last one against Fulham was interrupted by Marc Cucurella’s sending off in the first half.
It is well-documented how fond Rosenior is of Santos following their time together at Strasbourg. The Brazilian was even named captain on occasion as a reward for his excellent performances.
Santos will be the happiest Chelsea player with the new manager, and it looks as if he is going to get his chances to impress.
He has only started five Premier League games so far since returning to Stamford Bridge, with Enzo Maresca not liking to stray away from his usual midfield two.
However, it looks as if Fernandez has a battle on his hands to continue his stint as a regular at the club, despite his positive performances over the last two seasons in particular.
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