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The full transcript from Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior's pre-match press conference ahead of the Blues' Premier League trip to the division's bottom side Wolves this weekend
Liam Rosenior has just completed his pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea's Premier League visit to Wolves at the weekend.
The Blues make the trip to Molineux on Saturday afternoon to take on the division's bottom side as Rosenior's men look to bounce back following an agonising 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in midweek. Rosenior took his press conference ahead of the game on Thursday afternoon - and here is every word the Chelsea head coach had to say:
Are Reece James and Pedro Neto available for Saturday?
Don't know yet. Had training today, which was a recovery day for the lads who played a really tough physical game on Tuesday. We'll check with them tomorrow and then we'll make a decision then.
Jamie Gittens?
Jamie, he's looking a little bit more long-term. It's a real shame for him. He's got a tear in his hamstring, which is a real shame for him. I have not worked with him for too long. Obviously, I know about his career and what an outstanding player he is. Yeah, so that's going to be a big miss for us.
Do you know how long he will be out for?
I can't say. It's too early to say.
Are Cole Palmer and Estevao Willian fit enough to play 90 minutes vs Wolves?
Yes.
How long do you think it will be until Cole can play, say, back-to-back games or back-to-back 90 minutes?
I think that's another really hypothetical question. What we're doing with not just Cole, all of the players. We have the very best medical team. We have the very best sports science team. We do many tests. We want to make sure that these players can play at the level that they need to play at to help us win. So, in terms of Cole, there isn't a time frame where he's going to be perfect in a month or two months or three months. It's just game-to-game. And that's the way that we've been working with him. And I think that is the way we will have to continue working with him and a few of our players.
And he understands that?
He's been magnificent. He's been magnificent. He wants to be playing every minute of every game. We know the player that he is, the character that he is, but he's also maturing as a human being. And he understands the bigger picture, which is his career. Bearing in mind, I'm very conscious of this, the lads played in the Club World Cup and then they went through the summer with no break. And they've got to play so many games. Our schedule has been crazy. Then they have World Cups to go to and international games to play. I want to make sure that the well-being is correct for these players, for their careers as well.
There's been so much noise about the way you set your team up on Tuesday. Were you more justified because of what happened at the Etihad Stadium watching what Newcastle did against Manchester City? Are you surprised, first of all, that there's still been this continued noise and talk about it?
No, the noise doesn't surprise me at all. That comes with the territory of being the head coach and manager of Chelsea Football Club. If I was surprised by that, then I wouldn't have been prepared for this role. What other teams do, the way other teams play, has got nothing to do with me. What people say outside of the club, what they think about the way my teams play, makes no difference to my decision-making or what I think is the right thing for the team. In hindsight, we didn't go through. You can always change and improve certain things that you do. But what I do feel at the same time, that was a very, very solid performance against a team who are very, very good at home. We turned the tide in the second half and the game could have easily gone our way. Disappointed not to go through, but now we'll move on and focus on Wolves.
There was a video circulating. I'm sure you've probably seen it. It was you before the game shouting towards someone. Was it the Arsenal players?
It wasn't the players. I'm respectful. When you warm up, you have your half, the other team have their half. I've never asked my team or my coaches to encroach on the opposition's territory. In that moment, I didn't think it was right where they were operating. They were affecting my lads' warm-up and my staff's warm-up. So, I asked them, maybe not politely, to make sure they stay in their half. I'm not here to have mind games. It's just what I think is right and respectful. Hopefully, we respect that and other teams do too.
What was it specifically, if you don't mind me asking, that made you so angry?
There are certain etiquettes in football. I always try and be as respectful as possible. I always want to win. I've never asked my coaches. I don't have an issue with anyone at Arsenal Football Club. A fantastic manager, Mikel Arteta, I've got so much respect for. It was just in that moment, I didn't think that respect was shown to my team.
Just going back to Cole Palmer, how frustrating is it for you? He's available to you, but it seems you can't use him to his full potential at the moment...
You want all of your players to be 100%, 100% of the time. But at the same time, that's just not going to happen. Not just in terms of Cole, but with every player, especially with the schedule that we have. I wouldn't say frustration is the word. I'm trying to get the very best out of him and my team at the same time. Also, I'm taking into account, hopefully, the many games we have to play, and the many competitions we're still in, to make sure that we're still very, very strong coming April and May. That affects my decision-making.
How do you get the best out of him when you can only play him at certain games?
It's not about not being able to only play him at certain games. Like I said before, it's day by day. It's making sure that he feels right, that he can contribute to the team in a way that he wants to, and I'll keep working on that. Very soon, I'm sure, he'll be in a place where he can play every minute of every game, and I'll be a very happy man.
Which is his best position? Do you see his best position as the No.10?
His best position is on the pitch.
Have you spoken to Alejandro Garnacho about his performances recently? He's come in for a lot of criticism...
I have spoken to all of the players. I don't know where the criticism comes from. I think, again, it comes with the territory of being a player or a coach for this great club. Garnacho, like all the players here, had a difficult half against West Ham. I've always shown some really bright moments coming on against Arsenal, and he's going to be massive for us. We have a lot of games to come, and he'll have plenty of opportunities to show his quality.
And how have the players reacted after Tuesday night?
Yeah, a massive blow. We believed we could go through. The lads were devastated, and rightfully so, after the game in the dressing room. But I've spoken to them. You get setbacks in life. It's how you respond. The response in training today and in the meetings that we have had have been really positive. We have to now focus on the future, which is Wolves on Saturday.
Are you getting closer to finding out your best XI?
I got asked this question, I can't remember, not long ago. I don't have a best XI. I don't think best XIs are the way that you go. You have a best starting team for a game. You have a best finishing team for a game. Obviously, I'm learning about the group all of the time, in every performance. Not just in games, but in every training session. The characters, they know the journey that I want to go on with this club and with them. I'm making assessments all the time on who's suitable for us to keep moving in the right direction.
With Wolves on Saturday, how, as a manager, do you prepare the group of players to face a side that are so far adrift, as it were, in the Premier League table?
We prepare in exactly the same way we prepare for any game that we play. I watched Rob's team recently. They actually put in a very good performance against Bournemouth. They were unfortunate not to get anything out of the game. I thought they played very, very well. They put in some very positive performances in their last few games. The biggest thing for me, as the manager now with this group, I want to see a consistency in our levels of performance, of engagement, of intensity in every game that we play. For me, that's something I've spoken to the group about. The next game is the most important game and Wolves is another huge game for our season.
As you've obviously not been here that long, how long do you feel it might take to get to that point? How do you go about trying to get there?
I keep getting asked these hypothetical questions. In the Premier League, we've won three out of three. In eight games, we've won six out of eight. The players have shown many, many good things in that aspect.
Two British managers going head-to-head on Saturday. Do you think that is a positive sign?
I don't want to speak on behalf of all British managers. I can only speak from my own personal experience. I'm proud to be from this country. I'm proud to represent this club, being born in London. I think there are some outstanding British coaches in the Premier League, in the Championship, in League 1 and League 2. Because the Premier League is such a worldwide league with a market, everyone wants to be in the Premier League. It's very difficult for British coaches, other than being promoted, to make that step. I think British coaches, Michael [Carrick] is doing a great job, Rob [Edwards] is an outstanding coach. We can hold our own and hopefully we show that in our respective roles.
When you were at Strasbourg, did you get the sense they were the junior partner in the multi-club model? Mamadou Sarr has of course just been recalled...
No. No, I didn't. You'll see Mamadou's come back. Aaron Anselmino is not a bad player, a fantastic player. Datro Fofana's gone. This question is not about being a junior partner or a senior partner. They're two massive clubs. Strasbourg is a massive football club with its own identity, with its own culture and its own goals and what the club wants to reach. They have a big game against Monaco tonight, which I'll be watching. Gary [O'Neil] has started very, very well. The idea of this project is that both clubs are very, very successful and I believe that will be the case.
Do you see Trevoh Chalobah as the long-term partner to Levi Colwill?
Trevoh, the way he's playing, I said to the players I will gauge everything, not based on what's happened before me but what I see now. I'll only speak on what I'm seeing now. Trevoh has been one of our brightest spots in terms of his performances, in terms of what he understands. What we want, not just on the pitch or tactically, in terms of the culture, in terms of what he gives the group. He loves this club. He understands what it takes to win and he's made a fantastic impression on me and my staff so far.
What progress do you think you've made?
I think any manager would say before you walk into a club, you watch and analyse the games from before. But what's really important to me is that you don't use that information too much. You try and take on the information as you're in. You don't make, not prejudices, but judgements on players without seeing them or meeting them in the first aspect. When I come in, I just be myself with my staff in my own way and then we judge at the training session. A lot of what we've spoken to the players about is not football-related. They're already fantastic players and already fantastic people, which is what I've learned. But a lot to do with reactions and body language and spirit. I think they are the intangibles that make a big difference to the success of a football club.
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