Chelsea's personnel dilemma: Why does Liam Rosenior need to drop Pedro Neto from the left wing?
The defeat against Fulham exposed Pedro Neto's inconsistency when playing out of position. New manager Liam Rosenior faces a tough decision to optimize his Chelsea squad.
Chelsea are mired in disciplinary problems and tactical instability. While Marc Cucurella received the club's fifth red card of the season, another pressing tactical issue became apparent in the Craven Cottage stands, witnessed by new manager Liam Rosenior: Pedro Neto is no longer fit to play on the left wing.
Pedro Neto's predicament and the alarming statistics.
Despite his unconvincing performance against Manchester City, Pedro Neto was still trusted to start on the left flank against Fulham. Although he had an indirect role in Chelsea's only goal when his cross hit the post for Liam Delap to tap in, it was a rare bright spot in an otherwise lackluster performance from the Portuguese player.
With Chelsea down to 10 men, Neto was completely isolated and struggled under Antonee Robinson's marking. Match statistics showed Neto's extremely low performance in this position: in 60 touches, he only completed 29 passes and had only 1 out of 12 crosses on target. With an expected goals (xG) of just 0.14 and no shots on target, Neto's effectiveness was virtually zero.
The personnel paradox and the message for Liam Rosenior
Neto's core problem lies in his natural playing style. He only truly shines when deployed on the right wing, where he can make runs into the center to shoot or create chances with his preferred foot. When "stuck" on the left wing, Neto's play becomes monotonous, predictable, and loses its inherent attacking threat.
Notably, Chelsea spent a staggering £100 million on Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens, but both are currently being benched due to a struggling Neto. Furthermore, Willian Estevao has proven his capabilities by playing well in this position against Bournemouth. This demonstrates that Liam Rosenior has no shortage of high-quality replacements.
A cruel but necessary decision.
To turn things around, Rosenior needs to make immediate adjustments. Bringing Neto back to the right wing or boldly benching him to give Garnacho or Estevao a chance are the most realistic options. This might be a "cruel decision" for Neto personally, but it's the right step to break the deadlock in The Blues' attack during this crucial stage of the season.
