Thinking Outside the Box - Rosenior Sacrifices Himself for the Good of the Premier League

Liam Rosenior Walked So the Premier League Could Run – Here’s How?

For those who expected fireworks in last night’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg between Arsenal and Chelsea, you likely turned your TV off a very disappointed football fan.

Aside from a 96th-minute Arsenal winner, the game offered precious little in terms of drama – just four shots hit the target, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Robert Sanchez made a combined three saves, and the majority of the game was played in front of both sides' backlines.

Kai Havertz sends Arsenal to WEMBLEY!

GET IN YOU BEAUTY! 😍😍😍pic.twitter.com/ikAgXNT1mL

— Stephen R Power (@racingblogger) February 3, 2026

It was a tense, cagey match which, had it not been awarded the setting of a cup semi-final, would have been heavily criticised upon full time, with fans across the country tuning in, having expected to see a high-tempo heavyweight clash.

However, there was one marked exception to that rule - Chelsea pioneered a resourceful way of nullifying the Gunners' dominant threat from set pieces, a threat that Premier League sides have failed to find resolution to for the best part of two years.

What Did Rosenior Get Wrong?

However, Rosenior does not deserve to be lavished in praise simply for figuring out how to mute Arsenal’s set-piece prowess; there was plenty that he got wrong last night.

In a cup semi-final, where Chelsea headed into the second leg at a deficit and requiring a one-goal win to even take the game to extra time, Rosenior’s hitherto untried three-at-the-back system was already a step in the wrong direction before the match had kicked off.

The side was clearly set up to stop Arsenal rather than attack their goal - the former Strasbourg coach clearly did not want another iteration of the veritable basketball game that took place in the first leg at Stamford Bridge.

If Rosenior’s goal was to frustrate Arsenal and Arteta, it certainly worked – Arsenal managed just five shots in the entire game to Chelsea’s 14 and, for once, looked relatively clueless at how to break down an opposition back line.

The Chelsea ranks were well-drilled, pressing and hanging back when required, and managed to launch a couple of counterattacks when they stole possession cheaply. However, it was here that the system worked against them.

Liam Rosenior on Paul Merson's criticism of Chelsea's display against Arsenal... pic.twitter.com/mKsRJGFN8o

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 4, 2026

Playing what was effectively a 3-6-1 while in position with Cucurella as wing-back and Malo Gusto as an inverted full-back, Chelsea lacked the required personnel to be a serious threat when going forward. The only players in the side capable of generating a threat in open play were Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernandez, with fellow midfielder Andrey Santos and Moises Caicedo ordered to hold position further back.

That meant that when Chelsea did get forward, they lacked options, and for the most part, they were forced to go backwards, favouring slower build-up in place of high-risk counter-punching moves.

Rosenior’s starting lineup also received plenty of criticism. Opting to leave Palmer and Estevao on the bench, the Englishman instead played Liam Delap on the right wing when in possession, meaning that Gusto, who in the 3-5-2 formation would typically take on the role of wing-back, was inverted into central midfield, overcrowding the centre.

With both Delap and Gusto playing in unfamiliar roles, attacks broke down too easily, and the Blues looked uncertain of how to progress.

Rosenior’s game plan was simple – frustrate Arsenal until the hour mark, and then bring on his star attackers in Palmer and Estevao to try and grab a goal to take the game to extra time. Once again, though, his plan backfired badly.

When Palmer and Estevao came on, they really struggled to get into the game and, aside from winning a couple of useful free kicks, failed to impact the game with any meaningful attacking threat. Had they played from the start, things could have been so different, and although they would have been fatigued later on, it would have been worth it for the higher likelihood of a goal.

We are not good enough to bench someone like Estevao without Palmer.

I understand trying to manage him, but I would rather take him off early vs bring him on late.

He’s the type of player that turns that early wave of pressure we usually have into goals/points. pic.twitter.com/iXZ7NCGS8t

— LK. (@LKCOYB) November 8, 2025

If anything, it underlines how poor Chelsea’s attacking options are that they only started to think about threatening when Palmer and Estevao took to the pitch – a side should be looking to score goals regardless of who is on the pitch and what the game state is.

The fact that the likes of Gittens and Neto didn’t even get on the pitch, and Garnacho only played for 15 minutes, shows the lack of trust the manager has in them; he clearly doesn’t see them as individuals who can turn a game on its head when introduced in the second half.

Even when Palmer and Estevao did come on, Chelsea lacked threat. In the dying minutes, when the six or seven players waited in the box, the Blues persisted with playing tiki taka around the edge of the area, an approach that, when chasing a game in added time, rarely pays off.

In the final minute, the Blues did launch a couple of long balls into the box, the last of which saw Arsenal clear, Declan Rice thread Kai Havertz through, and the German round Sanchez to put the ball into an empty net against his former club, sealing safe passage to Wembley in the process.

Of course, Chelsea were always running that risk with so many players up the pitch, but at least in the final minutes they showed purpose, a desire to score, and a willingness to take a risk which could easily come back to bite them.

It did come back to bite them, and unfortunately by that stage, the game was beyond rescuing. Despite nullifying Arsenal’s threat, Rosenior failed to turn defensive solidity into attacking potency, and as a result, he and his team suffered their first goalless showing under his leadership in a dull, lifeless performance.

However, in one very crucial way, the former Strasbourg coach provided a deeply insightful hint on how to blunt Arsenal’s dominant offensive threat - he rendered their set pieces completely useless.

What Did Rosenior Get Right?

As discussed, Rosenior’s three-at-the-back formation proved very effective when facing up to Arsenal in open play, and going forward, very few would be surprised if a host of other Premier League teams employ the same strategy when playing the Gunners at the Emirates.

But at set pieces, Arsenal have proven to be a different beast. Their 13 Premier League goals from set pieces is a leading figure, as over the years, Mikel Arteta has transformed a routine dead-ball scenario into an undiluted war in the penalty area, a war in which Arsenal comes out on top more often than not.

Though Rosenior didn’t impress the masses with Chelsea’s overall performance last night, he did receive widespread praise for the innovative way in which he blunted the Gunners' corner chaos.

Instead of leaving most of his players back to defend the goalmouth, cramping the penalty area and leaving very little room to manoeuvre as they did in the first leg, Rosenior had instructed his players very carefully before kick-off: as the kick was about to be delivered, three of his players would sprint up the pitch towards the halfway line.

Chelsea exposed the corner kick routine well and truly last night… 👀 pic.twitter.com/Nhdn452KDz

— EPL Bible (@EPLBible) February 4, 2026

This strategy achieved two things – firstly, it frees up more space in the penalty area, giving Sanchez a much better chance of claiming the delivery. Should he catch the ball, the second achievement becomes clear – with some quick distribution, he could launch the Blues into a devastating counterattack, thanks to the overload of numbers racing towards the Arsenal goal.

Unfortunately, the first time Chelsea put this plan into action, the referee blew his whistle for some over-zealous tussling in the penalty area, halting play, bringing the Chelsea players back, and ruining the all-important element of surprise that could have delivered them that vital goal.

Interestingly, an almost identical strategy had been discussed on the most recent Match of the Day - while analysing Arsenal's dead-ball dominance yet again, former Newcastle and Manchester City keeper Shay Given the theorised ways opponents could ward off the danger.

Though the Irishman commended Arsenal for turning the corner kick into a potent route to goal, Given said, “Every set-up is the same. What can teams do differently to create space? If they leave three up, Arsenal have to leave at least three, maybe four, back.”

“Yes, it leaves more space for the forwards as well, but those numbers cause so much confusion.”

Need to talk about Chelsea and Rosenior's BBC Match of the Day -Shay Given's Corner tactics to counter Arsenal corners. 😂 pic.twitter.com/BGxj1pDyOR

— Pakstarr (@pakstarr) February 4, 2026

It panned out exactly as Given had said; as soon as Chelsea launched their surprise tactic, three Arsenal players hared back towards their own half in a bid to man-mark them before any damage was done. Fortunately, there was no need thanks to the referee’s whistle.

It is a strategy that has already been used by both Crystal Palace and French side Monaco against Arsenal, but this was the first time that any side had attempted to throw men forward so late, in an obvious attempt to catch the Gunners cold and launch a dangerous counter-punch.

Though neither of Arsenal’s two corners ended up being a threat at either end, it is a tactic that has been exceptionally well publicised in the hours following the game, and one which rival managers would struggle to miss.

Arsenal panicked and threw men back to defend, the exact combination that countless coaches have been praying to see in the wake of a Gunners set-piece. Rosenior, unafraid to act as a guinea pig, was brave enough to trial the manoeuvre, and though the game provided only a small sample size, the initial observations show that momentum shifts very much in the defending team's favour.

What's Next for Liam Rosenior, Chelsea and Arsenal?

However, despite his creative solution to the Arsenal set-piece plague, Rosenior still has questions to answer about his side's performance. It was a drab display, undeserving of a goal, and certainly invited questions into his approach to big games.

Fortunately, Chelsea have a run of favourable fixtures coming up, allowing Rosenior some time to rethink his approach to facing the Gunners – the Blues face Wolves, Leeds and Burnley, as well as Hull City in the FA Cup, before returning to the Emirates on March 1st to play their second league fixture against Arteta’s side.

As for Arsenal, they await to see who their opponent will be in the Carabao Cup final, with Newcastle travelling to Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium tonight at a 2-0 deficit. The final takes place on March the 22nd, giving Arsenal plenty of time to plan for their eventual opponents, and in the meantime, they have the small matter of a Premier League title race and Champions League knockout football to attend to.

🔁 pic.twitter.com/YJMm8JzZGs

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) February 4, 2026

Over the next month, they face Sunderland, Brentford and north London rivals Tottenham in the league, while they also host Wigan in the FA Cup fourth round – if they can come through those fixtures unscathed, momentum will be firmly in their favour heading into the showpiece game at Wembley.