Liam Rosenior will have had time to dwell on his first couple of months as Chelsea manager during the international break, and Paul Merson has offered him some advice regarding two players.
The spotlight on Rosenior has softened during the break, and if anything, Enzo Fernandez’s blatant flirting with Real Madrid has actually helped that. But the pressure will be right back on Rosenior this weekend.
Luckily for Rosenior and Chelsea, it is – or should be – an easy return to club football. Chelsea take on Port Vale in the quarter-finals of The FA Cup, which sees the two sides do battle for the first time in 97 years.
FINAL: Who do YOU think should be Chelsea manager next season?
The Blues have drawn the lowest-ranked side remaining in the competition, hosting the League One side at Stamford Bridge. Rosenior will have finally been able to gather his thoughts about his Chelsea start.
Paul Merson orders Liam Rosenior to avoid starting Chelsea duo
Writing in his Sports Keeda column, Merson has spoken about Rosenior’s choice of selection. In the last few weeks, the Chelsea gaffer has used Fernandez as a 10, pushing Cole Palmer to the right flank.
Merson has ordered Rosenior to change it up and urged the Chelsea boss to push Fernandez back into a midfield two alongside Moises Caicedo and allow Palmer to play as a 10, to get the best out of him.
Everton v Chelsea - Premier League
Photo by Chelsea Football Club/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
While he rates both Romeo Lavia and Andrey Santos, Merson wrote that he does not believe either player is good enough to start in this Chelsea side, and Palmer should be the attacking heartbeat of this side.
“Except for Joao Pedro, none of the big players at Chelsea have been performing well in recent weeks. I like Romeo Lavia, he’s a good player and so is Andrey Santos,” Merson wrote in his latest column.
“But Liam Rosenior has to get back to playing Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez in midfield with Cole Palmer as the 10. Palmer out wide is a waste of time. Go with Neto and Estevao as your men out wide.”
Andrey Santos needs to leave Chelsea this summer
Santos has made an impact under Rosenior, without doubt. The Brazil star’s ability to read the play, his ability in transition and that knack of being in the right place at the right time has not gone unnoticed.
How much would you accept for Andrey Santos? 💵
Chelsea have already rejected a £40m+ offer!
But if Rosenior takes Merson’s advice, as he should if he is to get the best out of Palmer, then Santos is not going to get the game time he should be craving. Inter Milan want to sign Santos this summer.
If that interest remains this summer and Inter make a move to land the Brazil midfielder, then the former Vasco da Gama star really needs to consider taking it on. Unless he is happy being back-up at Chelsea.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox