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Liam Rosenior has a fairly easy decision to make ahead of Chelsea's clash against Crystal Palace this weekend
Alejandro Garnacho could be one of several changes to the Chelsea starting lineup this weekend. The 21-year-old winger, whom the Blues signed from Manchester United for just £40million in the summer, struggled to impress during Wednesday night's win over Pafos in the UEFA Champions League.
The Cypriot outfit defended the width of their box for much of the tie, so Garnacho was tasked with finding a breakthrough. The Argentina international showed promise in the opening minutes, stretching the opposition backline and winning a foul in a dangerous position.
After a quarter of an hour or so, he beat his marker and bent a great cross into the box with the outside of his right foot, but there was nobody in the box to tuck away the chance. Garnacho didn't get much of a look in until midway through the second half when he was presented with a gilt-edged opportunity to put Chelsea ahead.
During one of the very few times that the Blues caught Pafos on the counter-attack, Reece James found the Argentine unmarked at the back post. As the ball rolled into his path, Garnacho telegraphed his shot, opening up his body to find the far corner.
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Derrick Luckassen threw himself in front of the ball, blocking the effort on goal. Liam Rosenior had seen enough and, a few moments later, Garnacho was replaced by Jamie Gittens. The 21-year-old winger, whom Chelsea signed from Borussia Dortmund in the summer for an initial £48.5million, plus a potential £3.5million in add-ons, revitalised the Blues.
Gittens breathed new life into the west Londoners, creating chances and beating his marker on numerous occasions. He completed four of his five attempted take-ons, becoming just the third player to do so in under half an hour in a Champions League game this season.
The Englishman joined Alphonso Davies – during Bayern Munich's 2-0 win over Union St. Gilloise on Wednesday night – and Rodrygo – during Real Madrid's 5-0 victory against Kairat in September – in an elite bracket.
Gittens, who's recently overcome an illness, showed Rosenior exactly what Chelsea have been missing. The youngster staked a claim for a place in the starting lineup for Sunday afternoon's clash against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
The Blues will likely face another low-block, so there's every chance Gittens is thrown into the side. On facing such a defensive opposition, like Pafos, Rosenior said: "Yeah, you have to keep banging on the door.
"Obviously, you want to get the breakthrough earlier to open up the game. That was a harsh decision on Enzo [Fernandez]. Maybe puts his hands on him [for the disallowed goal]. I think in the Premier League, it's probably a goal.
"But the players, sometimes you just have to keep going. You have to keep knocking on the door, but you also have to keep the back door shut. There were things I was pleased with. There were things that we need to improve on.
"But overall, the body language of the group, they kept going. They were making block after block and save after save. I was delighted for Moi [Caicedo] to get the goal and get the result we deserved.
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