The Experience Fallacy: How Tosin Failed Chelsea | OneFootball

Tosin Adarabioyo may have inadvertently added nuance to the ongoing debate around Chelsea’s recruitment and the value of “experience” following Wednesday night’s debacle at Leeds.

No player in Enzo Maresca’s squad is under more scrutiny than his oldest one after that dreadful loss. Tosin was one of five changes from the draw with Arsenal, and to the confusion of many supporters, he continues to feature regularly whenever Maresca reshuffles his defence — often preferred over academy graduate Josh Acheampong. The 19-year-old’s last start came alongside Tosin in the Carabao Cup win over Wolves in late October.

Despite his youth, Acheampong has been the more impressive performer this season, offering real encouragement that he can blossom into a reliable defender for Chelsea. Only a year ago, top European clubs were circling for his signature.

Tosin, on the other hand, has provided little evidence that his experience brings the stability one might expect. Repeatedly this season, glaring weaknesses in his game have been exposed: a lack of pace, poor decision-making, and surprising frailty in physical duels despite his height. All of those deficiencies were on full display at Elland Road. Tosin’s direct involvement in gifting Leeds their third goal only compounded a miserable night for the 28-year-old.

It did not help that Benoit Badiashile and Trevoh Chalobah also struggled, along with a majority of a Chelsea team which extinguished the optimism conjured in November.

The Experience Gamble Did Not Pay Out

Maresca took a risk by starting Tosin, and amid wider criticism of his rotation choices, he got burned. The decision highlighted a growing fallacy: that “experience” and age automatically equate to security and a safer choice.

Tosin should be a calming presence — someone who imparts wisdom to younger teammates and brings authority amidst chaos. None of that was evident on Wednesday. Instead, his performances have come to optimize the worst of Chelsea’s defensive uncertainty. Worse still, his presence appears to coincide with dips in performance from teammates who excel alongside other defensive partners.

Maresca’s persistence with Tosin feels eerily reminiscent of Thomas Tuchel’s handling of Trevoh Chalobah during the defender’s breakthrough 2021/22 season. Chalobah shocked many by avoiding a summer exit and proving a strong option in Tuchel’s back three. Yet toward the end of that season, veteran captain César Azpilicueta began making a series of clear errors and showed signs of decline. Tuchel still continued to favour him over the younger, in-form Chalobah.

It was another example of the pitfalls of relying on “experience.” Coaches often believe they are choosing the safe option by backing the older player, but in both cases the opposite occurred — the team suffered as a result.

The irony should not be lost given the persistent claims that Chelsea’s transfer policy has misguidedly prioritised potential over experience. Like most debates in football and in life, the truth is more nuanced. It must be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Maresca now faces a demanding run of fixtures over the festive period. After the Leeds defeat, his selection choices will face even greater scrutiny. And if rotation is to continue, the evidence is now hard to ignore: Josh Acheampong deserves a genuine opportunity.

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