Chelsea suffered another lineup leak before the Brighton match, similar to the one during the Champions League tie against PSG. What made it surprising was the person responsible.
Chelsea has had a season to forget, with the team in real danger of falling out of UEFA competition places and only alive, for now, in the FA Cup. As if that were not enough, they have had a couple of scandals over lineup leaks, the most recent on Tuesday ahead of their Premier League match against Brighton in Gameweek 34, a crucial fixture for their fading hopes.
The situation, already worrying in itself, worsened significantly when it came to light that Marc Cucurella's barber had leaked the information, at least for Tuesday's match at Falmer Stadium. However, for now, neither the club nor the Spanish player, a regular starter on the left flank, has shared a statement on the matter.
After Tuesday's 3-0 collapse against Brighton, a result that stunned supporters, information began circulating on social media that shortly before the match, user @Rileyeagles_ revealed that Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer would not be playing at Falmer Stadium. "Palmer and Joao Pedro both were injured today. There's your exclusive," he wrote on several Premier League 'Fantasy' game accounts, according to the European press.
When users asked him for proof and questioned how he obtained the information, he posted a couple of photos of Marc Cucurella ready to get a haircut at what appeared to be a local salon. Minutes later, the posts and the account were deleted. Still, screenshots of the interaction remained, which represented yet another leak for Chelsea, following the one they suffered in the Champions League elimination against PSG earlier this season.
When Liam Rosenior was asked about the leak against the Parisians, the now-former coach said he had not given it much thought. However, he mentioned it was not the first time and "anticipated" it would not be the last. "These things happen, and it's a shame," were his exact words on that occasion, delivered with a shrug.
With the loss to Brighton, the Blues reached five straight losses for the first time in 114 years, an embarrassing milestone for the storied club. Faced with this alarming situation, the board decided Wednesday to fire Liam Rosenior, barely four months after he took over and just days before the FA Cup semifinal. Assistant Calum McFarlane will take charge of the team until the end of the season.
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