There was anticipation around Chelsea's FA Cup game against Charlton, as Liam Rosenior made his debut as the manager of the club, having been appointed as Enzo Maresca's replacement. There had been a lot of eyebrows raised about the decision to bring in the inexperienced Englishman to take on a job of this magnitude. His early comments have won a section of the fanbase over since then.
Ultimately, it comes down to results at Chelsea. If Rosenior cannot produce wins, then it will only be a matter of time before calls are made for him to be sacked and the appointment is chalked down as another mistake on the part of the Clearlake-Boehly consortium and the club's sporting directors.
Fortunately, Chelsea did not slip against Charlton. A 5-1 win away against the Championship side should give them a bit of confidence. But Rosenior's real test will come in midweek when they take on Arsenal.
On the basis of their performance against Charlton, there is one man who must absolutely start that game. It is none other than Estevao.
Liam Rosenior must start Chelsea ace vs Arsenal after electric performance
Estevao came off the bench against Charlton and looked like a class apart. He created a number of chances, got some saves out of the opposition goalkeeper and also won the penalty that was converted by Enzo Fernandez.
It was another stellar display from the 18-year-old, who did not get as much playing time as he should have under Maresca. Every time he is one on the ball, the fans get off their seats and there is a feeling that something could happen. There are not many players out there with that quality. Hopefully, he gets a bigger role with Rosenior as manager.
Estevao is competing with Pedro Neto for that spot on the right flank. Admittedly, that is a tough competition. It is pretty close between those two though, and when it comes to sheer X-factor, you have to give the edge to the Brazilian wonderkid. Despite that, he has played just 1029 minutes of football so far this season, compared to his senior teammate's 2009. Imagine if Barcelona had played Lamine Yamal so sporadically when he was breaking through. Would his trajectory look the same?
Neto also scored against Charlton, and has done the same in the past against Arsenal. So, it will be interesting to see how Rosenior lines his team up in midweek. One thing is clear though, Estevao is someone who should be getting the nod.