The signing Chelsea MUST make to succeed under Liam Rosenior

After a 5-1 demolition of Charlton Athletic in Liam Rosenior’s first match in charge, Chelsea came crashing back down to reality with a 3-2 defeat to Arsenal on Wednesday night.

The Blues headed into the first-leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final versus Mikel Arteta’s side with a depleted first-team squad due to injury, illness and suspension issues, and they were fortunate to escape with just a one goal deficit.

Arsenal racked up a whopping 3.2 xG to Chelsea’s 0.7 on the night and the west London side were saved from total humiliation by a second-half brace from substitute Alejandro Garnacho, who kept the tie alive with two back-post finishes with his right foot.

In his first home match as Chelsea boss, Rosenior was forced to make several changes due to the absences of numerous key players, and his side suffered the worst positive start when Ben White headed home from a corner inside the first 10 minutes.

Robert Sanchez flapped at a wicked Declan Rice delivery, which enabled White to nod into an empty net from inside the six-yard box, and the Spaniard was also at fault for Arsenal’s second when a timid cross squirmed underneath him and allowed Viktor Gyokeres to tap home from close range.

Sanchez could do nothing to prevent Martin Zubimendi netting a third for Arsenal, but it was a tough evening for the 28-year-old, who produced his worst performance so far this campaign at Stamford Bridge.

Despite his doubters, the Spaniard has largely been a reliable figure for Chelsea this season, but it quickly became apparent on Wednesday that Rosenior’s style of play is unlikely to suit him.

Under Enzo Maresca, Sanchez’s best performances came whenever he was required to play out from the back as little as possible. The Stamford Bridge crowd has never reacted favourably to risky build-up patterns on the edge of the 18-yard box and the jittery nerves from the supporters often translates onto the players.

As a result, Maresca tweaked his system in order to somewhat alleviate this issue in 2025-26 and ensure Chelsea conceded less turnovers near their own penalty area.

Rosenior, however, reverted back to this risky style versus Arsenal and it created unnecessary pressure against one of the best pressing units in world football. The crowd were anxious and this no doubt played a role in Sanchez’s uneasy performance in between the sticks.

Furthermore, Chelsea never really looked comfortable executing their game plan.

If Rosenior wants to continue his risky style of playing out from the back, Chelsea must sign a new goalkeeper as Sanchez doesn’t look cut out for the role.

Liam Rosenior comments on Robert Sanchez mistakes

After the match, Rosenior accepted the blame for Sanchez’s errors by admitting: “I think the first goal was disappointing. It’s a team goal. It’s not just on Rob [Sanchez].

“I’m asking Rob to do things that he hasn’t done before. I said to him before the game, and I made this really clear, when my players make mistakes, I’m accountable. That’s on me.

“He made a save in the second-half that was absolutely world-class. That could have put us out of the tie. He will improve in terms of his understanding. He’s had a very good season. There were very, very good moments with him. I’ll stay positive with him, as I will with all the group. My job is to help them, not to blame them.”

When asked what he has changed regarding Sanchez’s role, Rosenior added: “Without going into too much detail, I don’t want other teams to know. There are certain triggers, there are certain patterns.

“That’s Rob’s first game with me. I’ve had two days’ work with him. I have to put my imprint on the team. That’s why I’m here. I don’t want to do that to the detriment of the results, but I need to make sure we win now, but we keep improving for where we want to get to this season. It’s a very fine margin.

“There are a lot of positives in Rob’s performance today. What you’ll know with me is I protect my players. I’m asking him to do things. If he makes a mistake, doing what I’m asking him to do, that’s on me. I have a lot of faith that in the long term we’ll improve as a team with the messages that we’re giving him in all the plays.”

It’s possible that Sanchez may look more comfortable in executing Rosenior’s methods over the next few weeks, however Chelsea would be wise to bolster their goalkeeper ranks if their new boss insists on playing out from the back even when it doesn’t suit their number one.

Football transfer news headlines today

DONE DEALS: Every official completed transfer around Europe today

TRANSFER RUMOURS: Liverpool deal takes step forward as Guehi bid prepared

Fabrizio Romano Transfer News: Southgate to Man Utd, Tonali’s future, Dembele contract talks

Enzo Fernandez ready to QUIT Chelsea after Maresca exit

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers’ new app for all of football’s big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•Google Play

•App Store