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The full transcript from Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior's post-match press conference following the Blues' defeat to Paris Saint-Germain over two legs in the Champions League last 16
Liam Rosenior has just finished his post-match press conference following Chelsea's 3-0 (8-2) defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last 16.
The Blues were humbled this evening and over the course of the two legs against PSG, meaning the west Londoners' European adventure is over. While PSG showed their class in the English capital, Chelsea showed why they are currently nowhere near the French side's level.
Rosenior has just reflected on this evening's 3-0 defeat. Here is every word the Chelsea head coach said in his press conference:
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Would you have liked your team to have shown a bit more fight tonight?
Yeah, 100%. Six minutes in and another mistake that we make, it takes the wind out of our sails. I think the second goal he's hit from 25 yards in the top corner. When you go two goals down so early and five goals down on aggregate, it's a really, really difficult evening. We wanted to obviously put up more of a fight than what we did. Credit to PSG. Their possession play was really, really top in the game and over the two legs they deserve to go through.
How do you ensure that this last week doesn't have a serious impact on the end of the season?
Yeah, it has to. That's my job. How I go about that is how we always go about it. We need to be resilient. We need to make sure we go to Everton with an organisation, with a freshness and intensity in our team because we want to be in this competition next season. And if we perform how I know we can, we can get there without the individual mistakes that we're making at the moment.
Was the decision to bring Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez off an admission of defeat?
I think it's not just an admission. It's a reality of where the group are. They've played over 100 games in 18 months. They've had no break in terms of the international games, the travelling that, say, Joao Pedro or Enzo Fernandez or Moises Caicedo do to South America. It's not an excuse. This is a by-product of success of the Club World Cup and it's a great thing that the club achieved at the Club World Cup. You're seeing with Reece [James], you're seeing with players, that if I don't manage their minutes, their likelihood of getting injured is increased very highly. So I want us to make sure we're in this competition next season as a minimum. We're still fighting for an FA Cup, but I have to make maybe really difficult decisions that at the time probably don't look great, to be honest. You never want to take off your best players when you're five goals down in a tie, but I want to make the right decisions for the football club in the long term as well.
How do you ensure you personally do not lose confidence after a bad week like this?
For sure. This is football. Excuse me, I lost my voice shouting. Not at the players after the game but during the game. This is football. Moments can change the flow of things. Two and a quarter games ago, we were away in Paris or coming off the back of Aston Villa, a very good performance. 2-2 in the game, but we don't take care of the moments, we switch off. What I have to do is make sure that we get that back on track and that comes from not making mistakes or errors. That's something that me and my staff have already spoken about now, but that's something that I will speak about tomorrow and make sure that we go into the Everton game in a really positive frame of mind.
What do you make of Enzo Fernandez's comments on his future?
Firstly, I haven't seen that. It's hard for me to speak on speculation after a game and I need to focus right now on the most important things, which is making sure we get a result against Everton on Saturday.
It's three years since Chelsea were last in this round of the Champions League. Is there a concern that it could be that long again this time?
No, no worries at all. It's a fantastic competition. It's a competition that this club deserve to be in and deserve to compete in. My job, along with the club and the players, is to make sure we're there every year competing for trophies. This is the level that Chelsea, as you said, need to be at.
What exactly are your main takeaways from the two games?
No, I'm learning all the time. It's my job to assess the group all of the time. What I'm learning is that you have to have players that, in every moment, you can rely on to make correct decisions defensively and not switch off. But also, they were clinical in both games. Clinical shots from outside the box. That's the level and we need to make sure we get them.
Is there a concern about the atmosphere here tonight?
No, I think it's two-way. This is a fantastic football club where the fans want success instantly and that's rightfully so for the size of the club. I have to say, I understand because of the aggregate scoreline in the tie, why fans are frustrated. They want us to win. So, I completely get it and I understood that before I came in. I also want to make them happy and give them the nights they deserve. Not just me, but us as a group, as a team. That was a really, really difficult one to take because of the manner in which we went out this evening.
What specifically do you think your team maybe didn't do tonight?
No, I think football is about flow and momentum and if you give the opposition flow and momentum without them having to work so hard, they get more confident. So, if I look back, I've already watched some of the game back. First six minutes, we're in the game, we're in their half of the pitch and then they score. I know that Mamadou [Sarr] is a great young player. These are things that you have to ride, but you have to learn from. We make a mistake, it's an individual error. There's nothing tactical and Kvaratskhelia, because he's a top player, he scores. Gives them confidence, gives them a cushion and Barcola hits one from 25 yards into the top corner. I don't remember them having a shot either side of that. So, we have to learn at the top, top level to be clinical and to make sure we keep the back door shut. We've done neither over the two legs and that's why we're out of the competition.
Have you ever played Sarr in that position, and will you have to speak to him about the AFCON drama?
Yeah, I've been so focused on this, I didn't know that [AFCON overturn]. Mamadou has played in that position for me and Mamadou's been outstanding in games against PSG. And I felt his experience, his feel of the players would help him. And when you're a player and you make a mistake that early, it can become a really difficult night for you. Bearing in mind Malo Gusto was down to start the game and pulled out. He didn't pull out, he was very ill. We gave him as much time to recover. We missed Reece [James], who's out. Yeah, these are decisions that you want to make and you want to get correct. And in that moment, Mamadou's made a mistake, which has made it a difficult night, because it gave PSG the confidence.
Can you tell us the latest on Trevoh Chalobah's injury?
Yeah, I think he was really worried. I've just checked with the medical team. We'll obviously scan and assess him tomorrow. We are hoping and praying that it's not as bad as we first feared.
And with Reece James, is there an update?
Not yet. I'm waiting for the full results of his scan. And hopefully he's back sooner rather than later.
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