Chelsea legend Ruud Gullit claims £30million star ‘unhappy’ with Liam Rosenior

Former Chelsea manager Ruud Gullit fears Liam Rosenior made a damaging decision that left one of his players ‘unhappy’ following Wednesday’s Carabao Cup defeat against Arsenal.

The Blues were unable to find a way back into their semi-final against Arsenal having lost the first leg 3-2 at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago.

In an attempt to cause what would have been a significant upset, Rosenior employed a safety first approach that has attracted criticism and consternation in equal measure.

Opting to select a back five might have nulified their opponents, but it came at a cost with Chelsea unable to sustain any meaningful pressure on one of Europe’s most notoriously miserly defences.

It was a particularly arduous night for £30million summer recruit Liam Delap who was tasked with playing out of position on the wing to shut down Arsenal left-back Piero Hincapie.

As a result, the former Ipswich centre forward hardly registered an attacking contribution of note and was substituted on the hour mark.

‘Liam Delap was not happy with starting on the right wing against Arsenal,’ he told Gambling Insider. ‘It’s clear that Liam Rosenior played him there so they could launch long balls to him, but he looked totally out of place.

‘I know it was all tactical, but I don’t think Delap looked happy about it at all.

‘If you get the ball into the box, then Delap will do his best to get on the end of it, but when you’re asking him to drop deeper into midfield or out wide, then it’s a different story.

‘It’s a pity that Delap didn’t play closer to Joao Pedro, because the Brazilian looked all on his own up front. I feel like that would have helped both players if they started in attack together.

‘I understand why Rosenior set up like that, but when it came to Chelsea going for it and trying to attack Arsenal, they couldn’t create anything and they lost the tie.’

On Chelsea’s divisive tactical approach, Gullit added: ‘Chelsea took too long to be brave against Arsenal last night.

‘When Cole Palmer and Estevao came on, it looked a little bit better, but that was also because Arsenal themselves began to withdraw as the game went on. Chelsea didn’t have the firepower to get close to Arsenal – they barely had any shots on goal.

‘I understood Liam Rosenior’s setup to try and not concede for as long as possible away from home, but there was no creativity throughout the match – nothing at all.

‘Arsenal defended well and barely gave them any chances – they were never outplayed in the game.’

Defeat for Chelsea, meanwhile, ended a run of encouraging form and a five-game winning sequence for a new manager who was left with much to ponder following the first major setback of his reign.

‘In the first leg, I’m not making excuses, but we had an illness go through the camp on the day of the game – we had four players missing – and I’d been in charge for three days,’ he said.

‘I cannot fault the application, intensity or the fight of the players.

‘What we need to do is remember this is the start and I’m really, really happy with a lot of things I’m seeing.

‘You want to get the results, but we need to make sure we rest and recover and we keep improving as we go.’