Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso
Major concerns have been raised about Malo Gusto following Chelsea’s Carabao Cup exit to Liverpool.
Xabi Alonso’s side were beaten on penalties at Anfield in another blow for the Blues in the space of a few days.
Chelsea's Malo Gusto4
Gusto played as a right-back for Chelsea on Wednesday night
This followed a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Gusto was the target of plenty of Chelsea fan ire as he was booed off when he was replaced in the 67th minute.
Chelsea and their performance were the subject of debate on talkSPORT’s Daily Football Podcast, hosted by Adrian Durham and former Republic of Ireland striker Andy Townsend.
Malo Gusto ‘gone soft’
The 23-year-old joined Chelsea in 2023 from Lyon for around £26m.
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He has been a regular fixture in the team and has even been linked with a move to Man City in recent windows.
However, Durham and Townsend raised concerns about his performance.
Durham said: “There were cheers from the Chelsea fans at Anfield when he was taken off. He was awful.
“One Chelsea fan messaged me saying I don't want to see him in a Chelsea shirt again.
“Players go through this, but it feels like it could be the end of the road. He was actually linked with Man City in the summer, and they're talking about him going Man City in January.
“I don't really understand what City see, but I'm being a very harsh critic of a footballer here.”
Chelsea's Malo Gusto4
Gusto's theatrics did himself no favours, according to Townsend
When asked if he can see why Chelsea fans are so upset with him, Townsend said: “Do you know what I'm seeing? He's gone a little soft to me. He's taken the easy options now.
“What I liked about him previously in a Chelsea shirt was that he busts the gut to get from halfway line to get to the dead ball line at the other end of the field to maybe swing across him.
“He's better suited on the right. Tonight he played on the left. That's not him, really. He's better suited as a right full-back or a right wing-back.
“But I've always admired his willingness to run flat out at pace as often as he can. Now I'm seeing a player, whether his confidence has taken a knock, whether others have got in and he thinks he's perhaps not going to be a regular, but he's now hitting the floor under no pressure. He's looking for free-kicks.
“We know that referees are reluctant to give those soft ones, which is great, because soft free-kicks have been the scourge of Premier League football in recent years.
“A couple of times tonight, Malo Gusto dropped onto the floor as if he's been hit by a steamroller and there's been no contact whatsoever.
“Get up, get back into your defensive position and do your job. When he does that, I think he can be a very useful player.
“At the moment he's looking a bit fragile and a bit brittle, and he's taken the easy option. He's going down when he needs to man up a little bit more to me.”
Fofana’s mistakes
Wesley Fofana was another man in for criticism following their Carabao Cup exit.
He gave away a penalty in the first half, before missing a spot-kick in the shootout.
Chelsea's Wesley Fofana4
Fofana has played just 78 times since his big money move from Leicester
Fofana cost Chelsea £70m from Leicester, but has played just 78 times in more than four years due to persistent injury problems.
Townsend said: “It was quite a lot of money that they paid for Wes Fofana. He has his assets, he's athletic, he's quick, and he's a willing boy.
“He wants to do well, but he's never got rid of that mistake that he's kind of lurking at some point at any moment in the 90 minutes.
“It can be a lack of concentration as it was when he conceded the penalty this evening. It was unnecessary to do that. Or it can be he dives in, or it can be he makes a bad decision in the box.
“Unfortunately, he's one of those players that when he makes a mistake, it often gets punished.
“Some people get away with it, make a mistake, and nothing happens because of it.
“Wesley Fofana's one of those players that every time he makes a bad decision, it gets punished. Every time he does something that we can't quite explain, it ends up in the back of the net, or he concedes a penalty.
“He's just one of those guys, I'm afraid. It might well be the case for all of his career.
“There have been defenders like it before, and there'll be defenders like it again.”
Chelsea’s front three
Chelsea’s team have been electric in attack, but shaky in defence this season.
They have scored 17 goals in the Premier League, but conceded 15 in just eight games. Only Ipswich and Crystal Palace have let in more.
The usual front three of Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers has been disrupted in recent games because of injury and suspension.
Chelsea's Morgan Rogers4
Rogers cost Chelsea £117m from Aston Villa in the summer
Pedro is out for a few weeks with a thigh injury, meanwhile Palmer’s red card against Spurs saw him miss the Liverpool match.
This left a makeshift front three that failed to deliver the knockout blow against Liverpool.
Palmer will be back to face Man United on Saturday, with the 12:30pm kick-off live on talkSPORT.
Durham said: “All the talk has been about how exciting and full of goals this Chelsea front three is going to be this season or has been so far this season.
“But Joao Pedro out injured and Cole Palmer out suspended, Morgan Rodgers maybe felt, I know that Welbeck is more experienced than this, the pressure is on me and possibly couldn't handle it maybe?”