It would be pretty safe to say that the fans were left disappointed by Chelsea’s draw against Burnley. There were audible boos at Stamford Bridge at the full-time whistle as Liam Rosenior’s side did not seem to show enough ambition when going up against a team that is struggling to get out of the relegation zone and are pretty likely to go down.
Chelsea took the early lead through Joao Pedro but did not push forward and find a second. Then, Wesley Fofana’s red card changed the momentum of the game and they could not hold on to their one-goal lead, with Burnley scoring in the 93rd minute. That would not have come as a surprise to most. It felt like a movie we have watched a million times already.
Fofana’s red card means that he is not going to be available to face Arsenal. Considering he might be Chelsea’s best defender, the Frenchman will be a big miss.
Following Fofana’s red card, Rosenior had brought in three different centre-backs, trying to hold on to the lead, but to no avail. Who will be starting in his place against Arsenal though?
Which centre-back will start for Chelsea against Arsenal?
Chelsea’s defence has been an issue all season, with Levi Colwill suffering an ACL injury in pre-season. Enzo Maresca had asked for a replacement in the summer itself but was not provided one. In hindsight, he was absolutely right and the management got it badly wrong.
It had looked like Chelsea were looking to put that mistake right in the winter. They were linked with the likes of Jeremy Jacquet and Marco Senesi. Ultimately, they did not bring in a new face. Instead, they cut short Mamadou Sarr’s loan spell at Strasbourg and brought him back to Stamford Bridge.
Sarr impressed in his outing against Hull City. And while that was against lower league opposition, a lot of Chelsea fans seem to be convinced that he should be starting against Arsenal.
Chelsea fans want Sarr to start against Arsenal
One Chelsea fan wrote: “Just hoping Rosenoir won’t consider Tosin over Sarr.”
Another wrote: “Sarr has a massive opportunity against Arsenal with Fofana out.”
It would be a brave choice from Rosenior if he starts Sarr, given how little football he has played for Chelsea. That being said, some big decisions might be the call of the hour with Chelsea’s season starting to unravel. Perhaps bringing in the AFCON winner is exactly what the Blues need right now.
