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The full transcript from Liam Rosenior's post-match press conference after Chelsea's 5-1 victory over Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup third round on Saturday night
Liam Rosenior has just completed his post-match press conference after Chelsea's 5-1 victory away at Charlton Athletic at The Valley.
Goals from Jorrel Hato, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez gave Rosenior the dream start to life with the Blues. Here is the full transcript of the press conference after the game:
What did you make of your first game in charge?
Yeah, I was very happy with the attitude of the team, even in the first-half. This is not an easy place to come, third round of the FA Cup. I felt our press was very intense and really good. I felt we controlled the game, created a couple of chances from outside the box. The goal came at a really good time. It was a fantastic finish from Hato. The game opens up second-half, and I felt some of the passages of play, we know we have outstanding players. I was able to bring on some outstanding players from the bench. But I have to say I was delighted with the starting XI. I was delighted with the front three. I felt Ale [Garnacho] kept going in his one-v-ones.
Marc Guiu was magnificent, deserved his goal. Jamie [Gittens] looked like he was going at the defenders. He looked like he could create in a lot of moments. So a lot of real positives and a good start.
You can hear from the fans that they're still unhappy about certain things. It seems like it's very important to get them onside quickly.
If your fans are happy, it means you're doing a good job. All I'm going to focus on at the moment is working as hard as I possibly can to help this team achieve the potential, the unlimited potential that it has. And if you concentrate and focus on your work, hopefully people will see that we're onto a good thing.
Why weren't Cole Palmer, Reece James and Malo Gusto in the squad?
Malo, Cole and Reece were precautionary today. I don't want to take any risks at this stage of the season. They had minor tweaks or knocks from the Fulham game. And I didn't feel... I feel like I've got such a good squad here. I don't need to risk their health at the moment. We have a huge game on Wednesday. We have a huge game on Saturday. And I'll check the medical reports tonight and tomorrow morning and see how they are then.
Obviously, a great result tonight. What are your priorities to work on between now and Wednesday?
Yeah, I've got another two days. No, I think the biggest thing I challenged the players on was our reactions to setbacks, our intensity. Nothing tactical, nothing technical. These players are outstanding. They've been well coached before me. I was very happy with the togetherness and the spirit of the group today. I was very happy with the intensity that they ran at, winning duels, winning headers, all of the basics. And that's where you get your joy from.
How pleased were you with the fringe players stepping up tonight?
Guiu was top. His positioning, his pressing, he deserved his goal. He was always in the right position where we needed him to be tactically. I felt Jamie Gittens was very good. I felt Ale is so close to scoring a fantastic goal. He kept going one for one on the side. I believe in this group. I believe in all of them. And if we want to have a really strong season, we need to use them. I need to put faith into them, and they repaid my faith today. And they've given me real cause for optimism for the future.
You and Enzo Maresca seem to play in a similar way. Is it going to be a case of this team evolving rather than changing too much?
This is a team that won the Club World Cup. That was five months ago. This is a team that won the Conference League last year. We're a good team. We are a good team. They've been well coached. I've made no secret of that. There are other elements to football other than tactics. Tactics are one element. Shape, systems, technique, they're all wonderful things. But there are other things that I feel like maybe we can improve on. And that's what we'll keep working on as well as the tactical side of the game.
It hasn't been easy for Hato at Chelsea so far. How pleased are you for him?
He's 19. I saw him play at Fulham. I was so impressed with him then. He's taken that form on to another level today. Not just in terms of his goal. I felt his defensive attributes were top. His way that he settled the game down in possession, the way he defended one-v-one and still had the energy and speed to get forward to help us into attack. I know a lot of these players. They're outstanding young players. It's been a really, really good start for him but a really good start for all of them today with me.
How do you feel about the goal you conceded?
They're a very good team from set plays. We knew that. We score the second goal from a set play. They score their first goal from a set play. They're crucial. We need to improve in that aspect as well. Long throws, wide free kicks, corners going into our box. They are the basics that I talk about in football. So, yeah, obviously disappointed to concede but our reaction to conceding today was magnificent. We went up a gear. That's a really, really pleasing part of the game.
How close did you guys play to the idea of football that you wanted this team to play?
I'm one game in. Some of our passes you play were beautiful to watch. I think everybody can say that. We've got magnificent players. My idea of football is not important. It's about winning games of football consistently. It's a good start. It's just the start and we have to stay consistent now in a very, very hectic schedule.
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