Cole Palmer change gives Liam Rosenior boost as major Chelsea rethink considered for Arsenal

Chelsea travel to Premier League leaders Arsenal this weekend as the Blues look to get revenge on the Gunners after back-to-back losses since the turn of the year

As Chelsea chased the opening goal of the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Arsenal, Liam Rosenior turned to Cole Palmer and Estevao Willian from the bench at the Emirates Stadium.

With the second leg goalless after the Gunners’ 3-2 win at Stamford Bridge, the Blues were in desperate need of some sort of magic. Having completed 90 minutes in the gruelling 3-2 victory over West Ham United just a few days before, Rosenior decided to put Palmer on the bench despite Chelsea needing a goal in the cup tie with the 23-year-old still being treated with extra care and consideration due to his concerning fitness levels this season.

When Chelsea make the short trip to the Emirates Stadium – for the second time in less than a month – this weekend, there is surely no doubt, fitness depending of course, that Palmer starts. The eight days between the Blues’ draw with Burnley and the visit to north London gives the England international enough time to look after himself and prepare in the right way.

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We will hear more on Palmer’s fitness levels on Friday during Rosenior’s pre-Arsenal press conference but the assumption is that Chelsea’s talisman will be available for the clash with the Gunners. In his 30-minute (not including stoppage time) cameo at the Emirates Stadium earlier this month, Chelsea were unable to get Palmer on the ball as often as they would have liked. His impact was severely limited against a strong Arsenal defensive line.

Rosenior has essentially been handed a seven-day timeframe to prepare for the Gunners, a side he is set to face for a third time since being appointed Chelsea head coach last month. How to get Palmer in the best positions will surely be towards the top of Rosenior’s agenda. The way home for Chelsea is to somehow work out a way for Palmer to work his magic in the Arsenal final third.

Even though Chelsea’s attack faltered against Burnley on Saturday afternoon, you would expect Rosenior to go with similar personnel at the Emirates. At Stamford Bridge over the weekend, the three behind Joao Pedro were very fluid and did not have set positions as such.

Pedro Neto was the left winger, Enzo Fernandez the No.10 and Palmer operated on the right-hand side, though the three continued to interchange throughout their time on the pitch. Fernandez would often pop up on the left-hand side while Neto would tuck in behind Joao Pedro, a position where the Portuguese attacker scored a hat-trick against Hull City earlier this month.

We could well see something similar at Arsenal, with Andrey Santos continuing to flourish alongside Moises Caicedo at the base of Chelsea’s midfield. Romeo Lavia is also expected to be an option after he returned to the first-team squad for the visit of Burnley, but the 22-year-old Belgian midfielder is highly unlikely to start against the Gunners as the club look to ease him back into action.

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