Liverpool’s defeat to Wolves on Tuesday night makes Chelsea’s trip to Aston Villa all the more important in the race for the top five, and Liam Rosenior has to start Tosin Adarabioyo.
Rosenior will have been secretly delighted to see Liverpool beaten in injury time by the Premier League’s rock-bottom side last night, in the same fixture that Rosenior and Chelsea secured a 3-1 victory.
While he will have been happy, the pressure ramps up. Paul Merson has predicted a 2-1 win for Chelsea at Aston Villa, who also lost to Wolves last week. A win takes Chelsea back into fifth place over Liverpool.
Finish our XI to face Villa!
It means Rosenior absolutely has to get his team selection right. He will be without Estevao, Pedro Neto, and Marc Cucurella, though Reece James and Cole Palmer are ready. But starting Tosin is now pivotal.
Why Tosin has got to start for Chelsea against Aston Villa
Chelsea have three critical problems that Rosenior must sort. Robert Sanchez’s proneness to errors, the club’s discipline problem and Chelsea’s inability to defend from crosses – all on show against Arsenal.
Rosenior’s ability to fix the latter of those three problems quickly subsides if he starts Tosin. Even though he hasn’t played in six weeks, Tosin remains in the top three for aerial duels won among centre-backs.
Tosin v Burnley.
Photo by Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images
Tosin picked up a hamstring injury in the 2-0 win over Brentford, and that has ruled him out for the last six weeks, though he has been a late sub against Burnley and Arsenal. Now, Tosin has got to start at Villa.
Fofana returns from his suspension, and Mamadou Sarr impressed in his first Premier League start, but if Chelsea are to eradicate their inability to defend crosses, Tosin has got to be included in the starting XI.
Tosin’s record against Aston Villa is woeful, he’s never won
Tosin has won 69.2% of his aerial duels. Among the league’s defenders, only Virgil van Dijk and Matthijs de Ligt are better. He immediately improves Chelsea’s chances of defending crosses and set-pieces.
Is Tosin the answer to Rosenior’s problems? 👊
Chelsea are third-worst in the Premier League for conceding from crosses.
If fully ready to go, it’s a no-brainer for Rosenior. Even if Tosin’s record against Aston Villa over the years is an awful one. In five appearances against Aston Villa, Tosin has never beaten them and lost four.
That being said, Tosin has never faced Villa in a Chelsea shirt. His initial two came while with West Brom and the next three, with Fulham. The only time he avoided a loss was his first, a 2-2 draw with West Brom.
Chelsea’s chances of keeping Villa at bay on Wednesday night is with Tosin in the side because he helps solve their biggest defensive problem. Even if, Tosin’s record against Aston Villa is surprisingly poor.
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