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Alejandro Garnacho, who Chelsea signed from Manchester United for just £40m in the summer, showed Liam Rosenior what he can do in the 4-1 win over Aston Villa
Alejandro Garnacho made a great impression during Chelsea's win over Aston Villa. Although Joao Pedro stole the headlines, firing the Blues to victory at Villa Park on Wednesday night, the 21-year-old winger quietly enjoyed a complete performance.
Liam Rosenior was left little to no choice but to start Garnacho, with Pedro Neto suspended. The Argentina international had previously shown glimpses of promise, chipping in with a few goals, finding the right positions and making some good runs, but he struggled to build any momentum.
Garnacho wasn't entirely to blame, with rotation key to combating the fixture schedule, but he couldn't quite string together a series of good outings. But according to Rosenior, the Argentine continued to go above and beyond in training to be ready for his next opportunity.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the clash against Aston Villa, the Chelsea boss said: "Garna is a top player. I’ve changed a little bit tactically since I've come in; I've wanted to dominate midfield areas.
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"That has meant at times I've only played with one winger, but Garna is an outstanding player. What I've really liked in this period is his reaction to not starting. He's been training very well and showed real positivity when he came on against Arsenal [on Sunday].
"He was also magnificent against Hull in the FA Cup and had a huge impact in the game against Arsenal when he scored two goals [Carabao Cup semi-final first leg]."
Rosenior continued: "We have got to take into account that Garna is 21 – he's got huge ability and huge potential. For any young player, the biggest thing to be challenged is your consistency level.
"But he's showing really good signs, not just in training but in meetings, that he's on a really good track. He’s definitely going to get his opportunities to play with the schedule we've got coming up."
Garnacho seized the opportunity on Wednesday night, taking the first genuine step towards finally becoming a regular in the Chelsea starting lineup. The winger was a livewire, often spearheading attack after attack at Villa Park.
He created five chances in the first half alone, which is the joint-most he's ever managed in any full Premier League match. Garnacho also completed all of his 24 passes and won seven out of 10 ground duels.
The Argentine showed his unselfishness when he squared the ball to Pedro, allowing the Chelsea striker to complete his hat-trick. He could have gone alone, but he put the team first and helped secure three crucial points in the race for Champions League qualification.
Rosenior was keen to acknowledge Garnacho after the game. The Blues boss said: "When you're professional, you do everything right on the training pitch. He's really impressed me the last few weeks.
"He's impressed me the most while he's been out of the team, because his reaction to being out of the team is professionalism. The intensity that he's trained at, it's no coincidence that he's going to perform like that today.
"That's the most pleasing thing for me, he deserved that today. He should have got a goal, but he was in the right position, and I loved how unselfish he was to set up the goal for Joao."
Garnacho staked a strong claim for a place in the starting lineup for Chelsea's clash against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League last-16 on Wednesday night. With Neto now under pressure to up his game, Rosenior will hope the competition for minutes brings the best out of the duo...
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