Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior has touched on some of the important topics for his team to remember, including the future of Enzo Fernandes, team news leaks and the memo he gave to Alejandro Garnacho against Paris Saint-Germain.
The Blues suffered an 8-2 aggregate defeat to current holders PSG, knocking them out of the Champions League, and lost 1-0 to Newcastle in the Premier League, making it their third defeat in seven days.
Here’s everything Rosenior said at the press conference ahead of this weekend’s match against Everton, which will be broadcast live on Saturday Night Football.
Is Trevor Chalobah’s injury against PSG as serious as initially feared?
“It wasn’t until after the game that I saw the footage and then everyone saw it and I was really worried about the next day.
“It’s never good to hear about Trevor being out for an extended period of time, but fortunately it’s not as serious as initially feared.
“It’s still a serious injury, but we’re looking at a six-week period, which is disappointing. But given how things were a few days ago, we’re in a better place than we thought.”
Trevor Chalobah was carried away on a stretcher during the match against PSG
Levi Colwill has been photographed training, but is he likely to return soon?
“Due to the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament injury), he has achieved all the necessary benchmarks, but we need to continue to make sure he is above a certain level.
“It’s really great to have his presence back on the training pitch. We want to see him back as soon as possible but within a reasonable deadline.
“He still seems okay.”
Saturday, March 21st 5pm
5:30pm kickoff
Will Colwill return this season?
“Hopefully, yes, it will be a big boost.”
Any other team news?
“Yes, Filip (Jorgensen) had a scan but he needed a minor surgery. Nothing too serious. It’s just a matter of a few weeks.”
“Reece James, he’ll be out after the international week. It’s not serious, but there’s something in his hamstring. That’s something we’ll be monitoring after the international week.”
Reece James will be sidelined until after the international break
Has this been the most difficult time for you as a manager and how damaging can it be?
“When you lose a game, it always takes a toll. I’m here, I’m learning about the team, myself, the staff and the club.
“We learned a lot this week. The team and I have the resilience and determination to try to get things right. We’ll see what happens in the next few weeks, but I’m very confident about it.”
“There are different challenges and every manager goes through moments like this, difficult weeks. I have had difficult times before. In Strasbourg we lost the game, but I have always found a way to overcome it. We are at that time again. As a group, we need to find a way to fight and overcome difficult times.”
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Gary Cotterill has summarized all the big talking points from Chelsea’s disappointing night at Stamford Bridge, where they were thrashed by holders PSG.
You have been flagged for your comments regarding Enzo Fernandes’ future. Have you talked to him?
“I had a long talk with Enzo this morning before training and talked about not only his comments, but also how he felt.
“How can we improve as a team? He’s one of the captains of the club and I just want to say he’s made it very clear how happy he is to be at this club, how much he wants to win and how passionate he is about our success.”
“He also said that things get misinterpreted in translation and in emotion. For me, he is committed to winning with this group and this football club.”
If a superstar wants to play in Europe, how much does what he wants to do with this club depend on the Champions League?
“You want to be in the Champions League, and then you have more clarity, not only from a financial point of view, but also recruitment, planning and everything else.
“This club deserves to be in the Champions League. That’s the goal, that’s the goal and that’s what we want to focus on getting through that competition. All that’s left is to win the next game to stay on track for the goal we want to achieve.”
How bad was last week for the morale of the players?
“Yes, but I think most clubs and teams experience moments like this during the season.
“Not just today, but yesterday, after the game, and even during the game when we were down by 10 points, I didn’t think we lacked effort.
“I know we have a resilient group and we need to get things right. You can’t quantify the damage until the end of the season.
“There are eight important games left in the Premier League and we also have a cup game left that we want to win. We are still in a position to have a positive impact on things.”
Liam Rosenior and Chelsea winger Pedro Neto
News of the team has been leaked in the last few games, is that a concern?
“We know. It didn’t come from a place that was malicious to me or the team. We knew where it came from and we addressed the situation.”
What do you think about the criticism you received after you handed a note to Alejandro Garnacho at the end of the loss to PSG?
“Regardless of the result, I’m always going to do my best in any situation to help my team perform at the highest level. Whether it’s a five-goal difference or a five-goal difference.”
“We were just down to 10 men and we needed to change the system. We needed Caicedo at right-back. Instead of me shouting and shouting in front of a bunch of people in the stadium, it’s best for him to show up and get the message across.”
Liam Rosenior handed a note to Alejandro Garnacho in the final minutes of the game when Chelsea were down to 10 men against PSG.
“I’m now very aware that if I don’t win as a coach with this soccer club, if we don’t win as a team, anything can happen.
“It doesn’t affect me. I’m aware of it. Of course it’s my job to be aware of what is being said about the football club and my team. Am I surprised? No, probably the level.”
“The reality is that I need to help this club and the players perform. If I don’t do that, maybe if I breathe or sneeze the wrong way, it will be talked about.”
Do you feel that your tactics are being communicated to the players?
“Are you talking about the fact that I’m passing notes?
“We are five goals down and the players are disappointed. There are always stories when a team doesn’t get the result they want.
“The team has been together for 10 weeks and has shown that they have a clear understanding of what they want to do. As is often the case at this time of year, sometimes things don’t go to plan.
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior
“Tuesday night did not go the way we had hoped. The fact that I handed out notes does not reflect that my message did not get through to the players.
“Looking at the games and the reality of the situation, we would like to have a preseason with this group, but it’s not possible. That doesn’t mean we can’t be successful. I’m very happy to be part of a successful moment.”
“If you look at the games where we didn’t get the result we wanted, it wasn’t tactical, it was a momentary mistake. In the first game we were 2-2, but that was because of a mistake, a personal mistake, which often happens in football.
“The first goal, which took all the energy out of the stadium, had nothing to do with the press, but then PSG, the European champions, were four points behind. There was an emotional factor in this.
“If I hand out notes, it doesn’t tell the story. I always want my team to play their best no matter the situation.”
How is Mamadou Sarr doing after making a mistake early in his Chelsea career and being sent off at half-time?
“It’s a big deal and it’s a big deal for all of us at this club. We’re expected to achieve it now.
“Mamadou, I’ve been working with him for almost two years. I’m very excited about his career. That’s why he’s here. You have to go through negative experiences to grow. He’ll be back. He trained today. He’ll be back.”
“He’s a big part of our future plans and the pain he’s going through will make him an even better player.
“If he can learn from his mistakes, I’m really looking forward to seeing what he can become as a player.”
Watch Everton vs Chelsea live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event from 5pm on Saturday. Kickoff at 5:30 p.m.
