The full transcript from Liam Rosenior’s pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League fixture with Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon
Liam Rosenior has just completed his pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League clash with Manchester City.
The Blues are in desperate need of points in the league as Rosenior’s men look to qualify for the Champions League. It was confirmed in the week that finishing in the top five will guarantee a place in Europe’s elite competition next season.
As for Man City, they are looking to put the pressure on Arsenal in the race for the Premier League title. Rosenior has just previewed the crucial match – and here is every word the Chelsea head coach had to say:
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Have you had an apology from Enzo Fernandez?
Yeah, I’ve had a really good conversation myself, I had three or four with Enzo. He’s apologised to me, he’s apologised to the club, and we’ll deal with that after a massive game on Sunday.
How did the apology take place?
It’s a serious meeting about something very serious. Enzo, I said from every single step along this way, I’m not questioning Enzo’s character, I’m not questioning who he is as a person. I believe people make mistakes and you can’t overstep the punishment for the mistake. I think we’ve made a sanction, we made a decision, I made a decision, and what I want for Enzo is for him to come on here and have an outstanding career.
So you forgive and forget, but not forget just yet, he’s still not going to play on Sunday?
No, he won’t play on Sunday, but hopefully after that he’ll be a massive part of the group moving forward. There’s still a few hurdles that need to be overcome that I won’t go into, but at the same time I want every player really, really focused now on a huge run.
But is that not shooting yourselves in the foot?
It’s not about, football is a team sport, it’s not about individuals, it’s not about shooting yourself in the foot. There are certain values and cultures that I believe in, that this club believes in, that makes the team stronger if you get that right.
In terms of team news then, anyone back who has been out for this game?
No, the positive is Estevao having a 90 minutes against Port Vale. In terms of any others, Trevoh’s working really, really hard, he’s back on pitch. Levi’s in full training, but he still needs to overcome some hurdles in terms of selection. Reece has been running today, which is great. But no, I’ve got a good squad and we’re ready to go and take on that team. They’re not ready for Man City.
Calum McFarlane was in charge when Chelsea drew with City in January. Have you spoken to him about how you got that result?
Of course I spoke to Calum when I first joined the club, I was actually watching that game in an airport on a plane ready to come here to talk to the club. I thought their performance, especially in the second half, was outstanding. Obviously we know what a fantastic team Manchester City are, world-class players, an unbelievable coach. But we know if we put our game together, we get the game plan right, the mentality right, we can cause them problems.
How much of an influence has Pep Guardiola been?
Huge respect, you can have respect. I don’t have a big enough ego to not respect people. I think Pep’s influenced everyone in football. He’s influenced the game and he’s an unbelievable coach, he’s had an unbelievable career. But no, I want my team to show what we’re capable of on Sunday.
A must-win for Manchester City in their title hopes, but is it just as important for Chelsea?
Yes, three points. That takes us closer to our objective, which right now is to qualify for the Champions League. That’s all we can focus on. We have teams who fight relegation, teams who are in mid-table, teams who are pushing at the top end of the league. It doesn’t matter because every game is so difficult in this league. And we know it’s going to be a big challenge on Sunday, but one that we’re looking forward to.
Can you beat Man City?
Of course. Of course we can. We’re a very good team. We’ve gone through a difficult run, even though in that run we were punished for mistakes. There were good moments. When I actually analysed the games that we’ve had, we’ve caused every team we’ve played against problems, but haven’t had the results for that. We need to make sure that we keep the back door shut. We need to not switch off. We need to not make mistakes because Manchester City will punish you. But I still want us to go out and play our game.
Moises Caicedo will make his 100th Premier League appearance in the plays. What makes him such a good fit for Chelsea in the Premier League, would you say?
For me, he’s one of the best defensive midfield players, if not the best defensive midfield player in world football, because of his intelligence, his physicality, his technical quality, how he understands the game. He’s going to be huge for us on Sunday.
How would you sum Pep Guardiola’s decade at Man City?
He’s won trophies. He’s reinvigorated the team. He’s refreshed the team. We also have time to put a style together. When you have that with the record he’s had, not just at Manchester City, but Bayern Munich and Barcelona, he’s an unbelievable manager. One that you look to because he’s had such a good career.
Is there a chance we might see a different style of a Liam Rosenior team with extra time to train?
It’s been nice. It’s been the first week since I’ve been here that we’ve had two clear training days in a row to work on things. I don’t think a magician can make a team look exactly how he wants to in the time I’ve been at the club, but I want to adapt. I want to evolve the team, but never at the expense of winning in the short term. You can’t change too much too soon. That’s something that I looked at with the staff. We looked at in the international break to make sure we don’t change too many things so that we can win games in the short term, but still work towards what we want in the long term.
Has that been a challenge throughout your time?
It’s not an excuse. Any manager that comes in in the middle of, I think the start of January, you have 20 games in 10 weeks with a new group and a new club. You’re trying to get to know those players. You’re trying to pick them. Obviously, I’ve watched before all of the games. You try and make evaluations as you’re in because you get to know the players better. That’s difficult for anyone. But for me, it’s making sure we use the time the best that we possibly can. I know where I want my team to get to. I know what I want the team to look like. That may take time, but it cannot be at the expense of winning games and fulfilling our short-term objectives.
Are the players mentally refreshed?
They look really, really good. You saw that. I know it was a game that we were expected to win, but I felt the way we went about the game against Port Vale was very, very good. Hopefully, that springboards the rest of our run-in.
Chelsea haven’t beaten Man City in five years. Is that a concern?
No, that’s in the past. It’s in the past. The record that’s happened before this game has no relevance on the game. We need to focus on what’s going to be a really difficult game.
Do you think, though, that a win over Man City could be a great launchpad for what you want to achieve for the rest of the season?
Of course. Of course, it’s three points closer to our objective. That’s what it is, and that’s what we’re focussing on.
