Chelsea have one a mountain to climb in their second leg against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League round of 16. The Blues put in a good performance away in France. But a late collapse, caused by individual errors, left them with a 5-2 defeat.
Considering how poor Chelsea were against Newcastle United at the weekend, failing to score, it is hard to imagine they will be able to turn around a three-goal deficit when PSG come visiting. Anything can happen in football though.
Unfortunately, Reece James will miss the second leg, having picked up another hamstring injury. That is bad news for the captain, who has a history of them. On the other hand, it looks like Chelsea have other problems going into the game as well.
Some news has come out in the French media which suggests that Chelsea could be without a couple more starters against PSG. Of course, that would be a worry on the pitch. Off it, the failure to prevent leaks is a problem as well.
Wesley Fofana and Malo Gusto could miss game vs PSG
According to Onze Mondial, Liam Rosenior had planned to maintain his Wesley Fofana- Trevoh Chalobah centre-back pairing against PSG in the second leg. But the Frenchman is said to be suffering from discomfort and might not start.
The report goes on to state that the implementation of Chelsea, during their last training on Monday, suggested a central defence with Trevoh Chalobah on the right and Jorrel Hato on the left.
Further, Malo Gusto is a doubt as well. He was sick and absent from training. The Frenchman will be examined this Tuesday morning by the medical staff. The diagnosis will depend his presence against PSG. Of course, with James also out, that presents Rosenior a headache at right-back.
Liam Rosenior needs to channel Jose Mourinho to get Chelsea through
Believe it or not, Chelsea have been here before. They found themselves in a similar situation more than a decade ago. On that famous night, Jose Mourinho was the one in the Blues dugout. And he managed to mastermind a second leg comeback against PSG at Stamford Bridge.
Goals from Andre Schurrle and Demba Ba sealed a 2-0 win for Chelsea. Mourinho went running down the touchline in celebration. And the Blues turned out a two-goal deficit to make it into the next round of the Champions League. It all feels like a lifetime ago. And considering the changes that have taken place at the club since then, it might as well be.
A lot of questions have been raised about Rosenior in recent days. Rumours have emerged suggesting there are doubts about him internally. A sack could be possible. The Englishman needs to channel his inner Mourinho to get Chelsea past PSG this week. If he can do that, it will go a long way in showing he is the right man for the job. If the Blues fail again, it would make an eventual, sooner or later, exit a lot more likely.
