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Alejandro Garnacho unhappy with £25m Chelsea teammate even as Wolves seal victory
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- Alejandro Garnacho unhappy with £25m Chelsea teammate even as Wolves seal victory
Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images
Liam Rosenior saw his side cruise to a 3-1 win over Wolves on Saturday, and while Chelsea never looked troubled, the result did not come without its concerns for the manager.
Two Cole Palmer penalties and a well-taken third from the forward sealed the points for Chelsea, helping them tighten their grip on fifth place with a four-point cushion ahead of Liverpool 's clash with Man City .
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It also marked Rosenior's fourth straight Premier League victory since taking charge. He is just the first English manager to start his tenure that way since Craig Shakespeare in 2017 and the first at Chelsea since Maurizio Sarri.
However, the 41-year-old manager was not entirely pleased. He pointed to how Chelsea still had not put together a full 90-minute performance under him. Nine games into his tenure, he still feels that consistency is missing. There was also an attitude issue from one of his players that caught his eye.
Alejandro Garnacho was not happy with Chelsea teammate
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This is a young Chelsea side, and the desire to impress has sometimes led to moments of frustration. It is a team full of self-belief, with plenty of players sure they deserve to be starting.
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Alejandro Garnacho is a good example of that. The Argentine, brought in for £40m last summer, has not yet fully justified the fee, but there have been signs since Rosenior took over that he can make an impact.
His performance against Pafos stood out for how well he pressed and competed – exactly what the British manager wants from his team. And the two goals against Arsenal showed he has the ability to finish as well.
But there have been difficult spells too. He struggled in Rosenior's first game and often looked frustrated, later taken off at half-time during the win over West Ham last month.
In that context, Kieran Gill reported for The Mail that Garnacho came off the bench on Saturday and was frustrated with £25m goalkeeper Robert Sanchez for not releasing him quickly enough on the counter-attack.
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Alejandro Garnacho has work to do to fit into Rosenior's plans
With Garnacho, there is often a sense that he has focused more on his own game than on what the team needs. On Saturday, Chelsea should have been slowing things down and taking the sting out of Wolves' momentum, not playing into their hands.
Wolves had just scored before the hour mark and the home crowd were really getting behind them. Chelsea needed to slow things down, keep possession, waste a bit of time and manage the game better.
Sanchez was doing exactly that, while Garnacho seemed more concerned with chasing his own stats. It is worth noting that the Argentine winger is still young, but he also has plenty of experience already – even if he remains a bit unpolished.
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If Garnacho wants to impress Rosenior and push for a regular spot in the starting line-up, he needs to start focusing on what the team requires rather than his own agenda. Until then, it is hard to see him being anything more than an option off the bench.
