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The full transcript from Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior's press conference ahead of the Blues' FA Cup quarter-final tie at home to Port Vale on Saturday evening
Liam Rosenior has just completed his press conference ahead of Chelsea's FA Cup quarter-final tie with Port Vale on Saturday evening.
The Blues head coach spoke to the media to preview the Blues' last-eight clash this weekend but his presser was inevitably dominated by the comments made by Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella over the international break.
Bobby Vincent was live at Cobham to provide you the full transcript from the press conference:
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Injury news? How's Reece James?
He's getting along really well, but not ready yet. Trevoh's progressing really, really well as well. Levi, it's really good to have him back in full training, but it's going to take a few more weeks. He needs to tick those boxes. But no, we've got a pretty fresh group. Estevao, Jamie Gittens is back, which is really positive going into the run.
Will Reece be back for Man City next weekend?
I don't know. We work day-to-day, so I don't want to give a timeline and not come through with that timeline, put pressure on those players, but they're all working really, really well at this moment.
Have you spoke to Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella?
Yes, we spoke with Enzo an hour ago. As a football club, with me as part of that process, we've made a decision. He won't be available for tomorrow's game and he won't be available for Manchester City on Sunday. I think for Enzo, it's disappointing to speak in that way. What I will say about Enzo is in terms of him as a character, as a person, I've got no bad words to say about him. But I think a line was crossed in terms of our culture and what we want to build. So we had to make a sanction and that was a decision we've made.
How disruptive have the comments been?
It's not ideal. I think a lot of this stems from we had a really, really difficult 10 days. Probably the most difficult 10 days of my career as a player or a coach. I'll go back to the first game against PSG, the belief in the group and what we were doing, the performance was top and it all fell apart in 15 minutes and there was a huge emotional dump from that game, which I think fell through to the next three games that we played. Why was there such a big emotional dump? Because the players were so motivated and had so much belief that we could do something really special in the Champions League this year. I feel like not just the comments from Enzo, but Cucu's interview as well stems from that. It actually stems from a good place where they want to do well. They want the club to succeed. But in those moments, I think we need more emotional stability as a group of players, from me as the head coach, as a football club, so that we don't respond in the way we have done to the setbacks we've had.
Was it your decision to take Enzo out of the team?
No, Enzo, firstly, as a character, as a person, as a player, I have the utmost respect for Enzo Fernandez. What he's achieved in his career, the player that he is, he's frustrated because he wanted Chelsea Football Club to be successful this year. He still wants that and we still count him. In terms of the decision, I've said this from day one, it's not all about just me. It's not all about the sporting directors or the ownership or the players. We are aligned in every decision that we make. So it was a joint decision. I'm saying that the door is not closed on Enzo. That's very important. It's a sanction. You have to protect, especially this football club, it's a winning football club with traditions of success. You have to protect that culture. I think in terms of that, the line was crossed in the international break.
As far as you're concerned, when you had that conversation with him, is he happy here?
I can't speak for him. What I do know is that when he's been on the pitch, even at Everton, when we lost the game, a really disappointing performance, there was no lack of commitment in his performance. There was no lack of wanting the club to do well. In terms of speaking for him or what he wants in his future, that's not for me to speak about. I want to focus on a massive game tomorrow, where if we win, we can make an FA Cup semi-final. I want to focus on us still making the Champions League, which is a big possibility.
Have you also spoken with Cucurella?
Again, fantastic conversation with Marc yesterday. Half an hour in my office. The disappointing thing for me, what we're trying to create here in my time, I've only been here for three months. I'm enjoying it, even in the difficult moments. I want players, I've said to them from day one, if they've got any issue with how we do things, to come and speak to me and speak to sporting directors. My disappointment in Marc's interview is where it went to. I think he should have spoken to us first about the things that he's feeling. I want players to feel like they can speak openly and honestly for the benefit of the football club. Those conversations we've had with Reece James, that's why Reece has signed a new contract, because he believes in where we're going. As a football club, we know we need to improve, myself included. We actually know what we're going to do in the summer to achieve those objectives.
Why do you think Marc didn't come and speak to you first?
Everybody knows Marc Cucurella, knows his character. He's a great character, he's passionate, he wants to do well. I think for him, he did a long interview where he spoke with passion, he spoke his mind. Yesterday, when I was in the office with him for half an hour, I was to remind him, you can come and speak to me, you can be honest with me and you can be honest with the club about what you want. That takes time. I've been here for two and a half months, we've played 20 games. So to build those relationships and those connections takes time. But Marc is fully committed, he wants to be here. He's made that very, very clear to me. And he actually believes in where we're moving forward.
How important is it for you win an FA Cup in your first season?
Yeah, we want to win. It's not about me, I've said that before. It's not about me winning silverware. It's about this club being successful now and in the long term. And to do that, you have to go through difficult moments. You learn a lot about the characters in your group. And I'm talking about the characters, not just in the playing staff, but the support staff, coaching staff, myself. You have to go through these processes, this pain, to make sure you make good decisions moving forward.
Is there a similar sanction than Enzo's for Cucurella?
No, that's a separate case. And Marc is available and will be involved in the game tomorrow.
Who are you looking at as kind of the leaders in the camp at the moment?
We've got many. We've got many. Moises Caicedo in our leadership group, Tosin. We've got Cole Palmer. We've got Joao Pedro. We've got Marc Cucurella. We've got leaders in the group. So I'll make that decision later on today when I name the team. And we will see who's captain tomorrow.
You mentioned they're looking at what you need to address in the summer. Have you had conversations about bringing kind of more experience into this group?
Bringing players with emotional stability. Bringing good characters in who, in difficult moments, can understand what it takes to win in those difficult moments. We've had great conversations. I've had conversations with the ownership, with directors about what we do in the summer. And we've also had conversations with certain players in the group as well who are really, really happy with the direction that we're going to go in. And before that, we need to make sure that we challenge for the Champions League, get into the Champions League, and hopefully win the FA Cup.
Have you been feeling like you've got the kind of relationship with the players where they can come and talk to you about the things that are going well and not well with the club in their daily lives?
We've had, honestly, all of the massive conversations, not just about how we play or results, actually how we move forward and what we need to improve. There's a lot of improvements for us to make, but at the same time, I want a culture here where we can be open and be transparent and challenge each other. And that comes from the players. I want them to be demanding of each other as well. So to create that, you have to have difficult conversations, but you also need to tell each other when you're doing something well. At the moment, you'll see in the coming weeks, there'll be things that happen around this football club that will actually speak louder than words, and you'll see what happens in the next couple of weeks in terms of the commitment of the players to this project.
And has there been a reaction among the squad to what's been said publicly in the last few days by those players?
There's certain conversations that need to stay behind closed doors. What there isn't, I'll make this very, very clear, there is not a rift or an address of it. There's not a group of players who are not speaking to another group of players. We are together, and me included. We go through, and every club goes through difficult moments in the season. We had a very, very difficult 10 days as a football club in terms of the results, in terms of being out of the Champions League. Now's the time for us to come together, back from the international break, and make sure we commit and perform in the manner that we need to do.
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