Salford City v Chesterfield FC - Sky Bet League Two - Source: Getty
Salford City v Chesterfield FC - Sky Bet League Two - Source: Getty
Gary Neville has heaped praise on Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior for his tactics to stop Arsenal during their corners. The Manchester United legend called it 'cheeky' as the Gunners failed to make the most of their set-pieces in the Carabao Cup semifinal second leg.
Neville was a commentator on ITV when Arsenal hosted Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg on Tuesday, February 3. The Blues handled the Gunners' corners with a familiar tactic of sending three players to the halfway line, forcing the opponents to send players to cover them.
The Manchester United legend was quick to comment on it and said, "Ooh, that's a cheeky little tactic".
However, pundit Jamie Redknapp had some issues with the tactic. He believes the Blues players left in the box to mark the Gunners were not ideal, pointing at Enzo Fernandez taking on Gabriel. He said:
“I like this plan but I don’t like the three players that are running up. My problem with that is you can see Enzo Fernandez is marking Gabriel. You’ve got ten yards [gap] there and you’ve got a player who’s the best at attacking a ball in world football. It works to a certain extent. What this does is negate too much traffic and Arsenal want to create chaos with these corners.”
Chelsea went on to lose 1-0 in the second leg, and 4-2 on aggregate. Arsenal will face Manchester City or Newcastle United in the final next month.
Liam Rosenior comments on Chelsea tactics after Arsenal loss
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior has admitted that he is slowly getting the players to understand his tactics and style. He believes that the Arsenal loss showed that they are capable of pushing to the next level and get better on the pitch. He said:
"I think everyone can. I think you can. I think that's why you asked me the question. That's really pleasing. But, obviously, losing the game is not what we wanted. I've been in for less than a month. We've had eight games in that month. So, for the players, firstly, to put the performances in that they've done, to show me the learning and, by the way, the spirit, the togetherness, the fight in the team was there. There's a lot of encouraging signs."
Chelsea have won six of their eight matches under the new manager, losing both times to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semifinal.