Rosenior has lost a key playerplaceholder image
Rosenior has lost a key player | AFP via Getty Images
Chelsea have been hit with a fresh injury blow after their draw with Leeds United.
Chelsea have been hit with in injury blow ahead of a tough run of fixtures that awaits them on the other side of an FA Cup clash with Hull City this weekend. The Blues saw their momentum halted on Tuesday night when they blew a two-goal lead to draw at home with Leeds United.
The Blues had a defensive disaster for the second goal then saw Cole Palmer miss an open goal from a yard out to cap off a very disappointing evening.
Thankfully for Chelsea, Manchester United also drew, and so there was no ground lost in the top four race going into the FA Cup fixture this weekend. But on the other side of that fixture, they have some make or break fixtures in their season, facing Burnley, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Everton.
And ahead of those fixtures, Chelsea have been hit by an injury blow, with Marc Cucurella coming off at half-time against Leeds. Liam Rosenior explained after the game when asked about the half-time substitution of the Spaniard.
“Unfortunately at half-time he felt his hamstring. It wasn’t a tactical change, it was one that was enforced,” said the Blues boss. “Cucu’s been top and hopefully he’ll be okay. We’ll scan him and make sure we find out if he’s available for the next game.”
Rosenior on the frstrating draw
Chelsea will feel they missed a big opportunity against Leeds, who they have no failed to beat both times this season. “It was two key moments in the game that we didn’t take care of, when we didn’t stay calm,” said Rosenior.
“Moi Caicedo’s a magnificent player, he’s been top for me, but he makes a poor decision. How the play gets there as well, we made a few poor decisions in terms of how we press in that moment and we give away a penalty.
“The penalty goes in, they hit a few long balls, their energy is up, they pick up a few second balls. The player handballs it, it affects my players in that moment, they think it’s a handball and switch off and don’t clear the ball, they score.
“Then for 25 minutes after that it was wave after wave of attack, but we couldn't find the goal. We have to just make sure we take care of those moments and be professional. I don’t think it’s about reacting to set-backs. You’re always going to have a spell in the game when you’re not on top. The ridiculous thing for us is that they’ve managed to score two goals in a five-minute period, when for the other 90 minutes of the game we were by far the better team. We just made poor decisions in key moments.”
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