Chelsea have struggled defensively this season, and Micah Richards has labelled their defending from crosses as “really poor.”
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The Blues once again dropped points at home as Zian Flemming headed home a last minute equaliser for Burnley from a corner on Saturday.
Liam Rosenior wasn’t happy with the way Chelsea threw more points away, and set pieces are clearly an issue for the club.
Micah Richards criticises Chelsea defending
The Blues have made a number of defensive errors since Rosenior arrived in January, and they were also doing the same under Enzo Maresca.
Chelsea have registered three clean sheets in Rosenior’s 12 games in charge, something which they’ve got to improve if they want to qualify for the Champions League.
Chelsea fail to defence a set piece again.
Chelsea once again conceded from a set piece against Burnley. (Photo by Jasper Wax/Getty Images)
However, Richards believes Chelsea’s struggles go beyond just defending set pieces, and in fact lie with crosses into the box.
“Chelsea’s defending from crosses, not only set-pieces, but crosses in general has been really poor,” he told The Rest Is Football.
“Having watched the game, a lot of people would say, ‘Ok, the turning point was the red card,’ but actually, Burnley managed the game very well and tried to create opportunities at the right time.
“Soaked up the pressure and then they got the goal from the set-piece.”
Chelsea have conceded from corners against Crystal Palace, Wolves and Burnley in recent weeks, and with Arsenal up next they’ve got to make improvements this week.
Liam Rosenior faces big decision for Arsenal clash
With Wesley Fofana suspended after getting sent off against Burnley, Rosenior now faces a big decision for Sunday’s game with Arsenal.
Trevoh Chalobah will play, but he needs to decide whether to go with the experience of Tosin Adarabioyo or the youth of Mamadou Sarr or Josh Acheampong.
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Supporters have mainly made their mind up on Tosin, but for such a big game, you could easily Rosenior playing it safe and selecting the former Fulham man.
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