Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior has admitted he does not know what consequences the Blues will face if they fail to qualify for the Champions League.
Rosenior’s side lost 1-0 at home to Manchester United, further losing ground in the race for the top five.
As a result, Chelsea are now 10 points behind the Red Devils and four points behind fifth-placed Liverpool, who are due to face Everton in the Merseyside derby.
Before the match, Cole Palmer insisted he had no plans to leave Stamford Bridge, suggesting that qualifying for Europe’s elite competition would be “a good position to sign the players we need”.
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Liam Rosenior says he was not surprised by rumors of Cole Palmer leaving Chelsea at the start of the season.
However, if they fail to participate in this season’s Champions League, it could affect not only the players who will participate next summer, but also the players who will participate. And Rosenior admitted he doesn’t know how missing the contest will change the direction of his future plans.
“I don’t know the honest answer,” Rosenior said in the post-match press conference.
“The honest answer is we’re still fighting and whatever the situation is, we’ll deal with it at the end of the season.”
What Palmer said about qualifying for the Champions League
Palmer was asked about his future in west London in an interview with the Guardian, but downplayed suggestions he could leave the club.
However, he also stressed the importance of the need to qualify for the Champions League in order to strengthen the team and ensure they have the players they need to achieve their long-term goals.
“There are no plans to move from Chelsea. We still have a lot to play for,” he said.
Cole Palmer says Chelsea will be in a good position if they qualify for the Champions League
“We have an FA Cup semi-final (against Leeds) and if we finish in the Champions League we will be in a good position to sign the players we need.
“We have spoken to the owners and they are confident in the players who can do it. Rees will not sign a six-year contract without speaking to the owners and managers.”
“Me and Reece (James) talked a lot about what we need, the players we need to sign and how things should be. If he doesn’t know what’s going on, he won’t sign a new contract.”
“The manager is good and if he has a proper pre-season and communicates his ideas and how he wants to play properly, he is a top coach.”
Rosseniol says the Champions League is a “mountain” and not “insurmountable”
With five Premier League games remaining, Chelsea will rely on the likes of Liverpool and Aston Villa to get off to a good start in order to get back into the Champions League places.
However, with pressure from the likes of Brentford, Bournemouth, Brighton and Everton on their backs, there is a good chance the Blues could fall further down the table if they don’t turn their form around.
The Blues have played six of their last seven Premier League games, including the last four. They also failed to score in their last four games, their worst performance since 1912.
However, Rosenior believes they still have a chance to qualify for Europe’s elite competition.
“It gives us a mountain to climb,” he added.
“It’s not insurmountable. We need to go into Brighton with the mindset that we have to win that game and start the rest of the season.”
