Paul Merson says Liam Rosenior should stop saying things like ‘respect the ball’ and giving notes to his players when they are losing 8-2 – Chelsea will be playing for a spot in next season’s Champions League.
Despite losing to Newcastle in the Premier League, the Blues have suffered two three-game losing streak to Paris Saint-Germain, and their only qualifications for this season are to qualify for the Champions League and the FA Cup.
Meanwhile, Rosenior has been criticized for saying he would “respect the ball” during a bizarre scene in which Chelsea’s team huddled in the center circle and surrounded referee Paul Tierney.
The Chelsea manager was also ridiculed for handing substitute Alejandro Garnacho a piece of paper with tactical instructions in the Champions League defeat to PSG when his side were six goals down with minutes remaining.
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Liam Rosenior was asked for his thoughts on Enzo Fernandes’ comments about his future after the defeat to PSG
Read Magic Man’s latest Sky Sports column below, ahead of Chelsea’s next Premier League away game against Everton, live on Sky Sports on Saturday…
Respect the ball? just don’t say that
You wouldn’t want to change Liam Rosenia, he’s a very honest person. But there are probably some things that he’s going to do and leave. Why did I say that?
Respect the ball? Don’t say that. Just don’t say that. I didn’t like the Alejandro Garnacho incident against PSG. Even he was walking by thinking, “What am I doing with this memo?” Please stop.
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Tim Sherwood slams Chelsea’s controversial huddle before match against Newcastle, calling it ’embarrassing’ and ‘utter nonsense’
That performance against PSG was alarming. Compare that to Newcastle’s match against Barcelona. Sure, they lost badly, but they were the better team for three-quarters of that game. I didn’t like the way Chelsea lost against PSG.
And I think Chelsea are up to exactly that challenge to qualify for this year’s Champions League. They have terrible supplies. If Arsenal were to catch up with Chelsea, I think Manchester City would still be in the title race. That’s very difficult.
If you’re Chelsea manager, you’re going to be judged on important games. And Liam Rosenior played six big games, three against Arsenal, two against PSG and one against Newcastle, all of which he lost.
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Jamie O’Hara believes Chelsea have ‘regressed’ under manager Todd Boley after their Champions League exit to PSG
Chelsea must qualify for the Champions League. I heard Rosenior say in an interview a few weeks ago, “Wait until summer.” It sounds like someone is coming in, but I’m not sure if that type of player would want to come in if Chelsea aren’t playing Champions League football.
Will Enzo Fernandes stay at Chelsea?
Chelsea were completely torn to shreds, but Enzo Fernandes was just being honest. Will he be here? He just doesn’t know.
He has to stay, they paid him £100m and if they sell him this summer they won’t get that £100m back unless he has an incredible World Cup.
Considering Financial Fair Play rules and other factors, they cannot afford to let him go at a huge loss unless they sell an academy player for a huge amount of money, and they cannot sell Reece James, who has just signed a new contract. So I don’t think Enzo Fernandes is going anywhere.
How many more players will Chelsea be unable to challenge?
Chelsea are a million miles away from the Premier League. They are very inconsistent and have no real experience despite having players who have won World Cups.
They don’t have Thiago Silva. He has been very, very lonely to me since the day he left. Chelsea continue to bring in young players when they need experience.
Against PSG, when we lost 3-2 in the first leg, that experience brought the team together and ensured we held on 3-2. It might be 4-2, but we still have a chance. However, do not make it larger than 4-2. That would make it 5-2. I just don’t understand how they were beaten.
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Gary Cotterill sums up the big stories from Chelsea’s disappointing night at Stamford Bridge, where they lost to holders PSG
We definitely need a new goalkeeper in the summer. I don’t know why they didn’t choose Gianluigi Donnarumma. Him and David Raya, they save points. If Raya hadn’t been at Arsenal, they wouldn’t be in the position they are in now.
All of Raya’s great saves are comparable to the mistakes of Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen. These two give points sometimes. I go to Stamford Bridge to watch matches and the fans get nervous. If you give that to the fans, what are you giving the players?
I’ve looked at every league winner since Daydot, and it’s rare to see anyone win with a 6/10 or 7/10 goalie.
