Chelsea lost 2-5 to Paris Saint‑Germain in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16. After the match, Blues manager Liam Rosenior said the result was hugely disappointing.
At the post-match press conference, Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior stated the team needed to keep calm in key moments.
What is your view on the match?
— The result is hugely disappointing. For most of the night, I was very pleased with our performance. The last 15 to 20 minutes were a disaster and unacceptable in so many ways. This is my responsibility. I need to do better in crucial moments. Setbacks and mistakes are inevitable.
But you have to stay calm at key moments, myself included. We failed to do that, and we were punished by an excellent team, which makes the scoreline especially painful. For 75 minutes, we were in a position to equalise and even win the game.
Do you agree with the decision involving Jörgensen?
— Players make mistakes. Jörgensen is not the first player to make an error. It’s part of football. Of course it’s frustrating… the score was 2-2, and I thought we were on top. We were millimetres away from making it 3-3. I believe João Pedro’s goal was marginally offside.
But at the top level, in the Champions League, margins decide games. The fifth goal was the most painful. We failed to steady ourselves and failed to maintain our basic rhythm. They scored the fifth, making our qualification task extremely difficult.
On Enzo throwing the ball at Jörgensen and Neto pushing the ball boy
— To be honest, I haven’t seen the footage of either incident. I saw there was a confrontation between the ball boy and the opposition. But if there was any improper conduct on our part, I apologise on behalf of the club. As for Neto, I think he explained himself in his interview. I really haven’t seen the clips. We have spoken at length about discipline and staying calm in key moments.
I have to find the answers now, because we shouldn’t be talking about the many good things in our performance – it doesn’t matter, because we came here to win. We put ourselves in this very, very difficult position, but it’s not impossible to turn it around.
Is there still a chance?
— Given the quality of chances we created with our build-up and possession, even at 4-2 it was far from an ideal result, but we still had a chance to win at Stamford Bridge. The fifth goal was devastating. I have to fix this, because we are so close, so close to being an outstanding team, but we have to overcome this obstacle to make that happen.
Chelsea face a tough decision over the goalkeeper– are you worried the goalkeepers are not at the level for this competition?
— Both goalkeepers are at this level. They have different qualities. Robert Sánchez is excellent with crosses and makes great saves; I aim to win in the short term and long term. Jörgensen has different traits, one of which he showed against Aston Villa – that was one of the reasons we won 4-1 – we were so calm in possession.
That was difficult to do before, not just with Robert Sánchez, but for the whole team. Against a high-pressing side, if you stay calm and survive the early pressure, you can cause huge problems, which we did. Unfortunately, we made a mistake at that key moment to make it 2-3, and the result has left us in a very, very difficult position.
You said you need to do better – what specifically?
— We need to stay calm when we face setbacks. This is my responsibility, not the team’s fault. From my first day in charge, we have emphasised reacting positively and staying calm in difficult moments, but we failed to do that. So the blame is on me. This is not criticising the players. Our pressing intensity, some brilliant football, and chances we created were excellent. We cannot reach our full potential if we don’t overcome this obstacle, and it’s my job to find a solution.
The players seemed to collapse…
— I think if Enzo wasn’t offside and João Pedro’s goal stood, it would have been 3-3, it was millimetres. Ultimately, the decision was correct. But Kvaratskhelia’s fourth goal was an incredible strike, no goalkeeper in the world could have saved it. In that moment, we had to remember it’s a two-legged tie. We had to stay calm and keep creating chances. Even two goals down, the tie was salvageable. But three goals down makes it extremely difficult.
On Jörgensen’s situation
— First of all, I want to praise him. He took responsibility for his mistake in the dressing room. Mistakes are inevitable – I make mistakes, everyone does. Sometimes mistakes cost more and hurt more than others, and this was one of those times. For Robert Sánchez, Jörgensen and all the players, we have to stick together.
This is a huge test of our character. We have a big game against Newcastle in two days and we have to bounce back. I want to see a real reaction and resilience from us in the next match.
