Liam Rosenior is two games away from nightmare Chelsea scenario with deadline in sight
Chelsea could face a nightmare situation surrounding a suspension for Moises Caicedo in the coming weeks, if the midfielder hits the yellow card limit.
The west London side stumbled slightly in midweek in their efforts to land qualification for the Champions League through their Premier League finish. The Blues had won all four league clashes under new boss Liam Rosenior since he arrived at the club, before they took on Leeds United on Tuesday night.
The match appeared to continue that trend for the head coach, as Joao Pedro opened the scoring after 24 minutes at Stamford Bridge. Cole Palmer then doubled the lead after half-time from the penalty spot, but the points were far from secure for Chelsea in the end.
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Lukas Nmecha pulled one back for Leeds with a spot kick of their own, before an equaliser from Noah Okafor in the 73rd minute of the match. It was a frustrating result for the Blues, who were in a strong position to make it five wins from five under Rosenior, as they look to land a top-four finish.
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A mixed fixture schedule is ahead for Chelsea, with Burnley coming up before clashes with Arsenal, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Everton, Manchester City, and Manchester United. It's a run that will test Rosenior in different ways, along with the rest of his squad, which he will want full access to.
That may not be the case if Caicedo is suspended, which could come about in the next two matches, if he isn't careful. The midfielder picked up his eighth booking for the season in the clash with Leeds, putting him just two yellow cards away from picking up a two-match ban.
Given how important Caicedo has been to the team since joining from Brighton, Rosenior will be keen to avoid a suspension in the coming weeks. The deadline for that ten card threshold is after the 32nd game, which is another six games away for the Blues.
That may be a tough ask, given that run includes a clash with Arsenal, Aston Villa, Newcastle, and Manchester City. That threshold increases to 15, which would give some breathing room to Caicedo and Chelsea ahead of an important run for their hopes of landing Champions League qualification.
Rosenior revealed just how highly he rates the Ecuadorian international when speaking about him to the press last month. "Moi is an outstanding player, a world-class midfield player," the head coach said after his side's win over Pafos in the Champions League.
If Caicedo isn't available, the manager may be forced to turn towards his reserves in the squad for others who can help fill the role in the centre of the pitch. One of those options is Andrey Santos, who worked with Rosenior last season during their time at Strasbourg together.
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"Andrey - I was very fortunate to work with him at Strasbourg last year," the manager said when speaking about Santos. "What Andrey does in the game... his understanding of football for his age is incredible.
"Like I said, he reminds me of Dunga. Dunga was incredible at making players around him better. That's what Andrey does for his teammates, even though he's so young. I think, as well as Estevao and Joao Pedro, he can go on to have an incredible career."
That possibility of a suspension could open up an opportunity for Santos, but Chelsea will be hoping he can force his way in, rather than replace Caicedo due to a ban.