Since his arrival, Liam Rosenior has gone to great lengths to keep things positive around Chelsea, praising players individually and collectively, talking up our ambitions, expressing confidence in the club’s overall direction, and so on and so forth. At times that praise has even bordered on the unwarranted, especially when the reality of the performances did not match up with the idealized version being presented.
But after last night’s defeat, even Rosenior cut a much more frustrated figure. In
some part, that was due to events beyond our control (like refereeing decisions), but in an equally large part — and perhaps even bigger part — that was due to our own performance: ineffective with the ball, second-best without it, and simply underwhelming in every phase. We’ve been inconsistent to a fault, but we haven’t had too many days like this, going an entire 90 minutes without a pulse.
That was always going to be the worry from Wednesday’s spectacular collapse in Paris and how that all happened. Newcastle were nursing their own European hangover as well, but they could hardly miss the one opportunity we gifted to them via a defensive breakdown. That would prove to be all the difference needed.
“[The goal was] a tactical issue. We press in a different way to most teams. It’s a new way of pressing. We don’t step on the press and we don’t cover in a position that we should have done. Mistakes happen. They had nothing. They had nothing in the game and we gave them a goal. We talk about the press. I think the press was the reason Newcastle had to kick long balls back to us and we controlled the game. But in that moment, we make a mistake and it feels like at the moment every mistake we’re making is ending up in the back of our net and we need to make sure we stop those mistakes.”
“The first 15-20 minutes […] we had control, we had domination, we created chances and moments and then that goal gave Newcastle the energy that they needed to see out the game in the way that they wanted to play. For me, it’s two aspects. One, we lacked a little bit of mental freshness in the final third. A combination or the right decision or that bit of quality in the moment. The second thing is we need to make sure we stay. If we’re not going to score, the other team don’t score. The disappointing thing today for me is we haven’t kept a clean sheet when Newcastle, if they’re being honest, didn’t really create much. We give them a goal and that’s something that I really, really need to solve for us to improve in the future.”
“It’s difficult at the moment with the injuries, especially in attacking areas. I’ll never make excuses. Injuries are a part of the season, but you’re missing three of our most important players in terms of unlocking a low block, which is your wingers. […] In saying that, I think we got into the final third enough times, we just didn’t take advantage of those moments. They’ve scored a goal other than that from one mistake that I can’t remember them having a clear chance on our goal.”
-Liam Rosenior; source: Football.London
We needed a reaction after the way game in Paris ended, and we did not get it. Not great! The next game is a bit of a non-event, despite the occasion and the opposition, but we better snap out of this quick if we want to stay in top-five contention.
