Chelsea will be visiting Everton’s new home ground for the first-team this evening. And they will be hoping to make a winning start there. In many ways, this is a bit of a must-win game for Liam Rosenior’s side, who have lost their previous three across all competitions.
Their form in the Premier League is not anything to write home about either. Chelsea have won just once in their last five outings while in a tight race to qualify for the Champions League.
Just when it felt like those spots were slipping away, they have been offered some renewed hope. Liverpool lost against Brighton & Hove Albion. That means they are just a point ahead of the Blues, while having played a game more. On the other hand, Manchester United could only get a draw.
This is a great opportunity for Chelsea to not only get past Liverpool, but close to others in the title race as well. For that, they will have to defeat Everton. The starting XI is now out and not all fans agree with Rosenior’s decisions.
Chelsea’s starting XI vs Everton announced
Chelsea’s starting XI against Everton has now been made official. And it is one that did not spring a ton of surprises.
Quite a few fans had been hoping to see Acheampong get a start, with Trevor Chalobah now out injured as well. Instead, Rosenior has gone with a duo of Welsey Fofana and Jorrel Hato in the heart of defence. That has not gone down well with everybody.
Chelsea fans react to Rosenior leaving out Acheampong from starting XI again
One Chelsea fan wrote on X: “Acheampong deserved to start.”
Another said: “What does Acheampong have to do to get a start?”
A third fan added: “Not good enough where is Acheampong??? Should be starting here.”
Acheampong did not get enough playing time while Enzo Maresca was the head coach. Initially, it had looked like that was about to change when Rosenior was brought in.
In Rosenior’s first few games as Chelsea manager, Acheampong was involved a lot more often. But a couple of months on and instead of seeing his playing time gradually increase, it has taken a step back since then.
One cannot help but feel that Chelsea have not done a great job with Acheampong’s development so far. If things continue in this manner, it might be only a matter of time before he starts seeking an exit and wants to join a club where he will get more consistent playing time. That should worry the Blues. Just look at how things have turned out for Lewis Hall since leaving.
