Chelsea head to the midlands needing a response against Aston Villa, following dropped points in three successive Premier League matches.
The season’s primary objective of Champions League qualification is at risk of slipping out of their control if they suffer further setbacks. Victory at Villa Park feels imperative, not just to get Liam Rosenior’s side back on track but also to restore some much-needed confidence within the squad.
Here, Standard Sport assesses three ways Rosenior plans to make sure his Chelsea side up ready for the season run-in.
Cut out indiscipline
When Rosenior first came through the door at Chelsea, he said he had no plans to speak to his squad about ill discipline.
Fast forward two months and Rosenior was left no choice but to raise the issue in a team meeting on Monday, after Pedro Neto’s moment of stupidity against Arsenal earned him a second yellow card and Chelsea’s tenth red card of a season in which dismissals have cost them dearly.
Rosenior felt he needed to remind his players how damaging red cards can be to the team’s chances of winning, as well as the importance of cleaning up their act on the yellow cards front, particularly needless bookings picked up for dissent.
The proof will be in the pudding, of course. Eyes will be peeled at Villa, Wrexham, Paris Saint-Germain and beyond to see whether Rosenior’s advice is acted on
Hands-on approach to set-pieces
Chelsea have conceded ten set-piece goals in their 13 games under Rosenior, so this is an area in desperate need of improvement if the Blues are to accrue enough points to finish in one of the all-important Champions League places.
It felt telling that Rosenior praised set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva for their attacking set-play output but did not discuss Cueva’s influence on how they have defended set-pieces, when he spoke in his pre-Villa press conference on Monday afternoon. Defending from set-pieces has been poor.
And Rosenior admitted he is now taking on a more hands-on approach to the way Chelsea rehearse set-pieces in training - and he was surely on about how his team defend opposition set plays more so than how they capitalise on their own.
“Every manager has a different idea about the way you attack and defend set plays,” he said. “I've taken more responsibility in the last week because I know it's something that needs to improve.”
Get Cole Palmer firing
Since his assist for Joao Pedro and penalty goal in the 2-2 draw with Leeds, Cole Palmer has come through 75-minute and 86-minute appearances against Burnley and Arsenal in which his impact was less and his total of nine league goal contributions for the season did not increase.
It is still a significant challenge for Rosenior’s whole tenure - but particularly right now in the business end of his first season in charge - to get Palmer firing and try to restore him to his 2023-24 pomp under Mauricio Pochettino.
This has been a campaign heavily disrupted by injury for Palmer, but there have been signs in recent weeks of a gradual upturn in his output and influence as compared with during Enzo Maresca’s time in charge. But after quiet displays against Burnley and Arsenal, a big performance against Villa is just what is called for.
Part of his improvement has come from Rosenior using him on the right, and sometimes left, flank. Having Enzo Fernandez as the attacking No10 has allowed Palmer more freedom to stay wide or drift inside as he sees fit. Freedom was the one thing he was not afforded under Maresca.
A burgeoning on-field chemistry with Joao Pedro is forming, too. Perhaps Villa will afford the duo the space to further strengthen that relationship.
