Paul Merson came out with both barrels after being ‘stunned’ by Chelsea’s performance in their Carabao Cup semi-final loss to Arsenal, losing 1-0 in the second leg
Paul Merson slams Liam Rosenier’s approach (Image: Sky Sports)
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior has defended his conservative tactics after Paul Merson accused Chelsea of ”whining” against Arsenal. The Blues went into Tuesday’s second leg with a one-point lead after losing 3-2 in the first leg at Stamford Bridge last month.
After only four weeks in charge, Rosenior adopted a new formation, interestingly placing striker Liam Delap on the right wing. In the second half, the Chelsea manager returned to his usual system, bringing on Cole Palmer, Estevao and Alejandro Garnacho in an attempt to create more attacking strength.
However, the Blues could do little to trouble Arsenal goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga all night and ultimately lost 1-0 as former player Kai Havertz made it difficult for him on his return with a breakaway goal in stoppage time. After the match, former Arsenal star Merson, who supports Chelsea, admitted he was “surprised” by Rosenior’s management and delivered a scathing verdict.
“I can’t believe what I just saw,” Merson told Sky Sports. “Chelsea are not a bottom-five team. They have a World Cup winning team. (Wesley) Fofana is crying (at the full-time whistle). He should be crying because they never made it.”
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“They went into the semi-final whining. It didn’t work. They go into the game in a blaze of glory, but we don’t want them to do that. They played in second gear.
“This is a cup semi-final. Chelsea asked their players to mix it up against Arsenal, but they couldn’t do it.”
At the post-match press conference, Rosenior dismissed the “easy” criticism from experts, insisting that if Chelsea had been open-minded, Arsenal would have been out of the picture. “I was a critic. It’s easy. It’s easy in hindsight,” the 41-year-old said.
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Liam Rosenier defended his tactics (Image: Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images)
“If I go out and attack a game and press really high and concede two goals early on, people say, ‘What the hell is he doing?’ That’s the reality of my job. The reality of my job is that if you lose a game, you get criticized, and if you win, you’re a genius. Usually it’s somewhere in between.”
Jamie Redknapp also criticized Chelsea’s performance, saying: “It was a tough game. I could understand Chelsea’s plan to stay in the game and then bring in the big guns. But that didn’t happen. Arsenal weren’t at their best but they were comfortable.”
Arsenal will face either Manchester City or Newcastle (2-0) in the final. The match will take place at Wembley on Sunday 22nd March.
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