Guus Hiddink has urged Chelsea defender Baba Rahman to swiftly recover from his embarrassing error in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Southampton.
The left-back could have cost Chelsea dearly at St Mary’s after a careless header in the first half released Shane Long in behind the defence to loft the opener over Thibaut Courtois as a crestfallen Rahman pulled his shirt over his head.
Hiddink brought Kenedy on at half-time and saw a greatly improved side come from behind to claim victory thanks to late goals from Cesc Fabregas and Branislav Ivanovic.
Rahman’s error represents a frustrating blow for the £17.7million summer signing, who had found playing time difficult to come by under Jose Mourinho.
Despite his error Hiddink suggested that Rahman will not lose his starting role for the Swansea game, with injuries to John Terry and Kurt Zouma leaving the Blues short on options at the back.
“He has to recover, of course. But you cannot always wait,” the interim manager said.
“We need everyone and he did some decent work in recent games. But also we have to be critical because it’s obvious that, defensively, you have to do your job.”
Rahman, 21, has started each of Chelsea’s last three games, his longest run in the starting lineup since arriving from Augsburg in the summer transfer window.
