Burnley celebrate equalising against Chelsea.placeholder image
Burnley celebrate equalising against Chelsea. | AFP via Getty Images
Micah Richards was not impressed by Chelsea marking in the 1-1 draw against Burnley.
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior was blunt when addressing defensive errors committed by his team in the 1-1 draw with Burnley on Saturday afternoon.
The new Blues manager remains unbeaten in the Premier League since arriving at Stamford Bridge but saw two points reduced to one in injury time against the Clarets this weekend. Chelsea took an early lead through Joao Pedro but saw Wesley Fofana sent off after 72 minutes before Zian Flemming headed home a late equaliser for struggling Burnley.
The visitors had posed a threat from set plays all afternoon and, when asked about the equaliser after full time, Rosenior said: “A marking assignment was missed, it was not done. I'm not here to throw players under the bus. There was a player we assigned the duty [of marking Flemming] who marked the wrong player.”
That player appeared to be Andrey Santos. The 21-year-old has been a standout player since the arrival of Rosenior, becoming a regular in the starting XI and building a partnership with Moises Caicedo in the centre of the park.
Santos was particularly impressive in the 2-2 draw with Leeds United in the previous Premier League outing. LondonWorld rated the midfielder a 9/10 for his performance in that game.
We wrote: “If the game hadn’t taken its turn in the second half, Andrey Santos would be earning praise for a phenomenal outing. Still deserving of a nine, the 21-year-old keeps going from strength to strength under Rosenior. Loves the dirty work, amping the Stamford Bridge crowd up after tackles, and picks the right pass so easily. An exciting prospect.”
Micah Richards singles out Chelsea player who ‘cost his team’ against Burnley
It’s been a quick fall from grace for Santos, who was also on the receiving end of criticism from Micah Richards on Match of the Day. The ex Premier League defender said: “It was harsh, but it was truthful [Rosenior’s comments]. On corners, it wasn’t great at all.
“All it takes is one simple movement and there’s a space there to go and attack the ball. That is too easy. That’s after seven minutes in the game, and Chelsea got away with it. Here’s the goal. Chelsea are down to 10 men but they still have the advantage of nine versus five because of the Burnley set up.
“This time it’s Santos and Caicedo. If you’re not as physical as someone, can you get a block in? Can you stop the run? It only takes one movement to go around the back. Here’s where they concede the goal. Fantastic header from Flemming. That’s too simple, because you’ve got the overload.
“Look at Santos’ position here. They are pointing at each other, look how easy this is for Burnley to get through. He’s not even looking and he’s cost his team a goal. It’s a wonderful header, let’s not take anything away from Burnley. These are the things that could cost them in the Champions League.”
In other news, Chelsea's next five games compared to Liverpool and Man Utd after Burnley draw.
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