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The full transcript from Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior's pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon ahead of the Blues' Premier League clash with Burnley at the weekend
Liam Rosenior has just completed his pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea's Premier League fixture with Burnley at the weekend.
The Blues, who will move back into the top four if they avoid defeat on Saturday afternoon, welcome the 19th-place Clarets to Stamford Bridge. Rosenior's side, inevitably, go into the match as overwhelming favourites but the Chelsea head coach is taking nothing for granted.
Rosenior has just concluded his presser ahead of the game. Here is every word he had to say:
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How did you feel watching those events that saw Vinicius Junior accuse Gianluca Prestianni of racism on Tuesday and what did you make of it?
It's upsetting. It's upsetting. There's context that needs to be had in terms of this situation. Always there has to be context to it. What I will say, you can see any form of racism in society, let alone football, is unacceptable. It's unacceptable. I cannot speak about an incident where an investigation is ongoing. I won't speak about that incident. What I would say is when you see a player upset, how Vinicius Junior was upset, normally they're upset for a reason. I've been racially abused myself. I know people have been racially abused. What people have to understand is when you are judged for something that you should be proud of, it is the worst feeling you can ever possibly imagine. There are historical things to racism. I need to, as manager of this unbelievable football club, make my statement on it. If any player or any coach or any manager has ever found guilty of racism, they shouldn't be in the game. It's as simple as that for me. What I will not do categorically is talk about one incident when there's an ongoing investigation.
What did you make of Jose Mourinho's comments on the incident?
Again, it's context. What I would say is regardless how a player celebrates, race should never come into it. That is an ongoing investigation. What I'm not going to do, I don't know the context of the situation. I don't know the context in which Jose said what he said, and I won't make a judgement on it. It's the same thing. I won't make a judgement until you get the facts. It's difficult for me to make a judgement. What I will say is if any player or any coach is ever found guilty of racism, they shouldn't be in the game. It's as simple as that.
There were discrimination issues during the game last Friday and a hell of a lot of discrimination issues on Tuesday. You've been speaking for a long time. What would you like to see change going forward?
A lot of things. A lot of things. This is a very, very complex situation. We speak about discrimination or race or gender or anything. There are a lot of things that need to change in our society. I'm not talking about football. There's a lot of division. There's a lot of people in the media who make prejudgments on people or how they behave or who they are based on a sexual orientation, what country they come from, what religion they are, what colour of skin they have. It sickens me, to be honest. I think it's a wider debate than just football. I think people need to be held a lot more accountable than they are at the moment in terms of social media, in terms of the press, to make sure that these things are stamped out, because everybody should be judged equally based on the content of the character.
Can we ask about Marc Cucurella and his situation?
Again, I can't give an exact time frame on Marc. He's suffered a hamstring injury. He suffered it before half-time in the Leeds game. For me, it's a real shame, because he's an outstanding player. He's one of the best left-backs in the world. But we have Jorrel [Hato], we have Malo [Gusto], who can play on that side. We've got really, really good players that can cover. The sooner he gets back, the better.
Can I ask about where we are with Cole Palmer and Reece James? Their minutes have been managed over the last couple of games. At what point would you need to stop managing those minutes?
I presume they're available. I've been asked that question a few times since I've been in. It's a really hypothetical question. It's based on day-by-day. Not just those two players, how each player feels. At the moment, they're both fully fit. They're both available for selection. They've both trained really, really well today. With those two players on your team, it makes you a really, really strong team.
Is it an advantage to play before Liverpool and Man United this weekend?
It's February. It's February. There's plenty of time. I swear, I've not even considered what time we're playing. We need to win our game. It's as simple as that. We need to do our job. It's not going to be simple. Burnley went away to Crystal Palace and won. We watched Wolves [vs Arsenal]. This is a strong league. We watched Wolves yesterday in their performance. We have to take care of our business regardless of what time we play.
Is there an element of complacency from top teams in the Premier League against the struggling sides?
I don't think it's just complacency. After Wolves were outstanding yesterday, I watched the game. This is such a strong league now. Every team can beat everyone. That's why the league is so close in terms of points between so many teams. What we have to do is we have to focus on our own performance. We have to make sure that we prepare ourselves right. But the way I like to do it is to be consistent in our process, whether we're playing Wolves, whether we're playing Burnley tomorrow, whether we're playing Manchester City or Arsenal. Our process is the same. It has to be that way for you to be consistent in your performance.
Burnley obviously had that result against Palace. They had a disappointment in the cup as well. Made a lot of changes there. Would it be wrong to read too much into what was in there?
It's the beauty of the FA Cup. Credit to Mansfield. I know it's going to be a difficult game tomorrow. It's as simple as that.
I was reading that Reece James has been speaking a lot recently to John Terry. Is that something you encourage?
100%. When you have people around the club, John is a legend of the football club. When you have people with the experiences, with the trophies that John's won and the experience he's got, it's an amazing thing for Reece to tap into. That's a really, really positive thing.
Is that something you'd encourage other players as well to tap into?
You can learn from anyone. But learning from people who have been there and done it is the best way.
Some of your players were pictured enjoying some time off this week. How important is it for your players to be rested?
I looked at the players' schedule over the last 18 months, the two years we've spoken about injuries and trying to maximise the availability of the group. I actually encouraged the players to go and get some sun. They have been at it non-stop for 18 months. Sometimes the best way to rejuvenate yourself, the best way to be fit and fresh is to switch off and take time. That was my idea. I know people may question it. We don't win games after that. But in the moment, I thought it was the right thing for the players, considering the workload they've had.
Have you seen the right reaction in terms of the intensity?
I think they want more days off [laughs]. Their training's been good for the last two days. Honestly, regardless of that, since I've been in, their level of engagement, the intensity in training, what they've given me, it's been consistently excellent. It needs to continue that way for us to be successful.
Liam Delap hasn't scored many goals this season. It is possible to be a good striker who doesn't score many?
100%. That's the first thing I look for in my strikers. I look for people who contribute to the team winning games of football. Liam certainly did that against Hull. He's done that in other games as well. All strikers want to score goals, of course. That's why they play the game. That's what they love to do. But there's a lot more. You need 11 attackers. You need 11 defenders at all times. Liam defends from the front amazingly well. So does Joao [Pedro]. They contribute to what has been a good record for us recently. And it has to continue.
It hasn't gone well for him yet goals-wise, as well as the club might have hoped this season. There's obviously reasons for that. Is it fair to think that some players, particularly young players coming into the league for the first time, deserve a second season?
I think that's clear. If you look at most players' careers, normally when they join the club, it's the second season that they really take off. For Liam, he's had some really, really good performances. But also his rhythm has been interrupted with injury, his shoulder issue. So I'm really, really happy with Joao. I'm really, really happy with Liam. I thought Marc Guiu, when we've called upon him, has been very good. And hopefully that needs to continue for us to be successful.
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