Calum McFarlane just took unnecessary risk during Chelsea vs Forest which could have been disastrous

Taiwo Awoniyi headed home completely unmarked to open the scoring, with Nottingham Forest going on to win 3-1 at Stamford Bridge.

Which Chelsea player was most at fault for the defeat to Nottingham Forest?

Calum McFarlane took incredible risk subbing on Levi Colwill vs Forest

McFarlane decided to sub on Levi Colwill at half-time for Tosin, handing him his first senior football of the season in a game many supporters inside the stadium had already given up on.

Before the game against Forest, the interim boss played down speculation that he would be ready to feature in this game, despite it being known he would be in the squad.

He said:  “When someone has had an injury that long, you have to be patient, not rush, take it day-by-day. Things can change day-by-day, his feeling can change day-by-day so we just take it step-by-step and when he feels ready to play then he will play.

“We just need to manage his minutes in those moments to not push him too much because we don’t want to risk re-injuring him but he looks brilliant, looks in a really good place. We are really hopeful we can see him before the end of the season.”

Fast forward to Sunday in West London though, and Colwill was being brought on to try and save Chelsea at the back, despite Josh Acheampong and Jorrel Hato both being on the bench.

It has clearly been tough for the Blues to manage without their best centre-back this season, but subbing him on at two-goals down against a physical striker like Awoniyi could have had disastrous consequences.

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McFarlane risked Chelsea’s future with Levi Colwill substitution

It is well known that Chelsea are building their defence around Colwill, with the defender expected to sign a new contract with the club.

While he has not been able to contribute this season, there has to be a desire to build towards the next campaign now, especially with a full summer off for the defender.

He is unlikely to be selected for Thomas Tuchel’s England squad, and his body would likely welcome the break after playing a key role at the Club World Cup last summer.

The ideal scenario would have been sending Colwill on for a few minutes in a comfortable victory. Instead, he was thrown to the wolves in the form of a rampant Forest side.