Former Chelsea star Craig Burley has warned Liam Rosenior he cannot afford to start Alejandro Garnacho against Arsenal in next week’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg.
The Blues continued their impressive start to life under their new manager against West Ham on Saturday after they staged a dramatic second half comeback.
Rosneior’s side were booed off at the break having trailed 2-0, but Stamford Bridge was rocking come the final whistle following Enzo Fernandez’s injury-time winner.
Enzo Maresca’s successor has now won six of his seven games at the helm and it was his substitutions that helped turn the tide against the Hammers who had looked firmly in control at the interval.
The decision to hook Garnacho at half-time proved particularly decisive after the Argentina international produced a woeful display during the opening period.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka comfortably pocketed his former Manchester United teammate at exposed his lack of defensive aptitude, playing a part in goals from Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville.
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Such was Chelsea’s improvement in the second half that Burley feels Rosenior now has enough evidence to suggest that Garnacho should be relegated to the bench against Gunners, even though it was the 21-year-old’s two goals that hauled his side back into the tie a fortnight ago.
‘Alejandro Garnacho is the type of player who comes on at 75-80 minutes when everybody is knackered and there’s a bit of space for him to use his pace,’ Burley told ESPN FC.
‘But as a starter for Chelsea? No, no.’
Burley’s fellow pundit Steve Nicol went several steps further by claiming that the £40million summer recruit wouldn’t have lasted in the game had he bee plying his trade 20 years ago as a consequence of his provocative style of play.
He said: ‘I’m not a fan of Garnacho from a lot of angles, not just on the football field. I don’t like his demeanour and his attitude.
‘I don’t like his final ball which lets him down way too often. Because of his pace he gets himself half a yard on defenders, but too many times he picks the wrong pass or makes the wrong decision. I don’t like the way he plays the game.
‘Can you imagine him playing 25 years ago? He’d be in a hospital most weekends.
‘We were always told was don’t do anything to make the opposition or the fans or anyone who is trying to beat you, don’t do anything to encourage them to want to beat you.
‘He’s the type of guy who just by the way he plays the game makes everyone who is against him want to make sure he doesn’t do well.’
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