Rosenior’s tactical gamble which paid off – and gives Chelsea another weapon going forward | OneFootball

Pedro Neto’s hattrick came after he was moved centrally by Liam Rosenior – it won’t be every game, but it’s a useful option.

When we saw Chelsea’s lineup to face Hull on Friday we were pretty sure we knew what we were going to see. Pedro Neto would be on his usual right wing, Estevao would play centrally and Alejandro Garnacho would play off the left.

However, as it turned out, Estevao played mainly on the right, with Neto centrally. It was an unusual move – as a player known for his speed and running, the Portugal star is a more natural fit out wide. But he thrived in the middle, and ended up scoring three for his team.

He’s been very frustrating at times out wide, with his crossing not up scratch and some of his decision making leaving us tearing out hair out. But in the middle, his great ball striking was able to come to the fore.

Neto in the middle another successful experiment from Rosenior

Pedro Neto celebrates against Hull City. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

It’s not a long term solution – we have Cole Palmer to play as a number ten, Enzo Fernandez is used there too, Estevao wants a turn. And that’s just the start. But it was very encouraging to see Rosenior coming up with ideas which get the best out of his players, and we’re really excited what else he comes up with in the rest of this season.

In other news…

Friday night saw a domestic debut for Mamadou Sarr at Chelsea, and he knows he’s going to have limited time to impress before the summer.

Chelsea are warming up for what could be a busy summer, and there are reports that Elliot Anderson could be on the their list. It would take a massive bid to buy him though.