Mamadou Sarr receives Chelsea confidence boost despite costly error in PSG defeat | OneFootball

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior insisted that he remains confident in young centre-back Mamadou Sarr despite his error in Tuesday's second-leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

Rosenior has confirmed that Trevoh Chalobah could be sidelined for about six weeks due to an ankle injury.

Even taking into account the upcoming international break, the centre-back will likely have to miss several games in addition to this weekend's game against Everton.

Sarr is therefore among the players who may have to step up in Chalobah's absence.

The former Strasbourg defender has only featured five times for Chelsea since being recalled from his loan in January, including two Premier League appearances.

However, there remain reservations over his ability to be a regular starter for Chelsea, especially after his underwhelming display against PSG on Tuesday.

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Sarr's poor first touch led to Kvicha Kvaratskhelia's opener just six minutes into the game, and the defender only stayed on the pitch for 45 minutes before being replaced after the break.

Rosenior did not deny that Sarr's error was costly, but he also showed a lot of confidence in the young centre-back's potential to grow.

"If you're a goalkeeper, and you make a mistake, the chances are it ends in a goal, and it's the same for defenders," Rosenior said in his press conference when speaking about Sarr's recent performance.

"But players like Mamadou, Jorrel (Hato), who was magnificent (against Paris Saint-Germain) and has been top since I've been at the club, you want to give them opportunities to show what they can do and learn from mistakes.

"We all make mistakes - me included - and you have to make sure you learn from them.

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"In the long run, the pain that he's gone through will make him an even better player.

"That’s where Mamadou is at in his career.

"If he learns from his mistakes, honestly, it's so exciting what he can become as a player."

While, as Rosenior pointed out, Sarr has the potential to be a reliable starter for Chelsea, the team really need an immediate solution to their poor defensive record in recent months.

Perhaps more important than personnel changes, Chelsea may have to tone down their high pressing, and start building confidence defensively by keeping a clean sheet against Everton.