Paul Merson annihilated Chelsea’s approach at full-time. He was ‘numb’ and ‘flabbergasted’ and couldn’t ‘believe what I have just watched’.
He claimed he was ‘lost for words’, and suggested Wesley Fofana, who did not feature in the Conference League or Club World Cup due to his injuries and is desperate to be involved in some success, should not be the only one in blue sobbing after exiting the Carabao Cup at the Emirates on Tuesday night.
Tell us what you really think, Merse.
Liam Rosenior’s strategy for this semi-final second leg against Arsenal ultimately did not work, but was it dire enough to deserve such hysterical hyperbole from Merson on Sky Sports?
Not nearly.
Chelsea arrived at Arsenal with a plan. A plan to contain Mikel Arteta’s excellent side. A plan to bring tension into the Emirates, and that psychological ploy worked as the home supporters seemed to forget they were still leading this two-legged tie as time ticked on.
Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior did have a plan for how his side would overturn the first-leg deficit at the Emirates – but it did not work
Paul Merson annihilated Chelsea’s approach as they lost to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final saying he was ‘numb’ and ‘flabbergasted’ and couldn’t ‘believe what I have just watched’
A plan to introduce Cole Palmer and Estevao Willian after an hour and hope the cavalry got the goal needed to stay in the competition. A plan to be pragmatic and, hopefully, succeed.
It was not to be, but what we witnessed hardly constituted a crime against football, even if Merson did sound ready to send Rosenior to the Green Mile.
Chelsea have enjoyed a few famous away days when they weren’t particularly pretty. The 2012 Champions League final at the Allianz Arena against Bayern Munich being a big one, for example.
It was an unusual set-up – Chelsea fans will not be begging to see Liam Delap covering the right wing again any time soon – but this was not comparable to what we saw versus Napoli or West Ham. Those first halves were disorganised displays. This was not. This was purposeful pragmatism, and Rosenior’s side remained in this tie until Kai Havertz’s dagger at the death.
Havertz scored via a counter-attack in stoppage time once Chelsea had pushed all their players up the pitch in their desperation for a goal. They finally gave Arsenal some meaningful space to work with, and Arteta’s men exploited that to confirm their place in the final at Wembley.
Nevertheless, Merson and his fellow critics reckon Rosenior should have been much more gung-ho, attack-minded, on the front foot from minute one even. You can agree or disagree. We will never know how this game would have gone, had Rosenior opted to go down that route.
Personally, my hunch is Chelsea would have struggled to live with the side that are leading the Premier League, that have won eight out of eight in the Champions League, that like it when the Emirates is responding to their attacks with energy.
The reality is, Arsenal are superior to Chelsea right now. Had a toe-to-toe approach led to a spanking, the criticism of Rosenior for showing such naivety would have been deafening, especially with his injury issues.
Rosenior’s side were in the tie until Kai Havertz’s dagger at the death for Arsenal
Rosenior brought on Cole Palmer on 60 minutes with the hope he would create a bit of magic
Rosenior usually reveals his starting line-up to the squad the day before a game. This time, he had to wait to be told who was available on the morning of this match. Reece James and Pedro Neto failed late fitness tests, Jamie Gittens was injured, Palmer and Estevao were not fit enough to start, and so it was only in the afternoon when he finally settled on his starters.
He asked his selected XI to play an entirely new system which involved three at the back on the ball, five off the ball, recurring rotations and a morphing shape.
One moment Marc Cucurella was a left back, the next a left winger. Malo Gusto was inverting into more central positions as Delap did his best to provide width on the right in the absence of Neto, Gittens and Estevao.
Enzo Fernandez was pressing high, pushing wide, tucking in, here, there, everywhere in yet another sign of his athleticism. It was fascinating to watch tactically, and Rosenior was even more animated than Arteta in his technical area with his players not used to these tactics.
We may criticise the timing of the substitutions as Palmer and Estevao were each introduced after 60 minutes. However, it is believed that was done with the possibility of extra time in mind.
Neither was ready for a full 90, let alone 120.
Palmer had played the entire game versus West Ham only a few days prior – the way that 3-2 comeback unfolded meant he had to do so – while Estevao’s build-up to this cup clash involved him flying to and from Brazil because of a family emergency back home.
They came on after 60 minutes because, that way, they had at least 30 to try to have an influence, and 60 if the tie went to extra time, which was as much as they could handle in the circumstances.
One moment Marc Cucurella was at left back, the next he was a left winger as the Chelsea players tried to get used to Rosenior’s ideas
Liam Delap (centre) did his best to provide width on the right in the absence of Neto, Gittens and Estevao
If you correctly predicted Chelsea’s starting line-up before it was announced, then do please tell us this Saturday’s lottery numbers also. It was wholly unexpected, but as full-time approached, all the visitors were missing was that magic moment in front of Kepa Arrizabalaga’s goal, that composure in the final third, that finish required as attempts often flew over or wide or into the wall.
Phase One involved Chelsea containing Arsenal for the first 60 minutes. They did that. Phase Two was where they were supposed to get back into this tie in the last 30. They did not do that. Perhaps they could have ‘gone for it’ more in that final period, but Arsenal are a defensively sound side under Arteta. Chelsea are not the first, and will not be the last, who fail to break them down.
Merson did not hold back in chastising Rosenior for his tactics after the fact, however, and he was not alone in his condemnation on the night that Chelsea exited the Carabao Cup.
But really, they lost this two-legged tie at Stamford Bridge – in a game in which they were much more open, when mistakes were made, with a virus sidelining several stars in Rosenior’s second game in charge – rather than at the Emirates – where an organised approach was hardly criminal.
