Paul Merson says Liam Rosenior needs to stop saying things like “respect the ball” and giving players notes when they are 8-2 down – with Chelsea up against it to qualify for the Champions League next season.
Three straight defeats – twice to Paris Saint-Germain either side of a Premier League loss to Newcastle – leaves the Blues with just Champions League qualification and the FA Cup to play for this season.
All the while, Rosenior has been criticised for saying his Chelsea team “respect the ball” amid their huddle over the centre circle – which encircled referee Paul Tierney in bizarre scenes.
The Chelsea boss was also mocked for giving substitute Alejandro Garnacho a piece of paper with tactical instructions – when they were six goals down with a few minutes left in their Champions League defeat to PSG.
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Liam Rosenior is asked for his thoughts on the comments Enzo Fernandez made around his future following the defeat to PSG
Read below for the Magic Man’s latest Sky Sports column ahead of Chelsea’s next Premier League game away at Everton, live on Sky Sports on Saturday…
Respect the ball? Just don’t say it
You don’t want to change Liam Rosenior, that’s the person he is – very honest. But there’s probably a couple of things where he probably would come away and go: why did I say that?
Respect the ball? Don’t say it. Just don’t say it. I didn’t like the Alejandro Garnacho incident against PSG. Even he was walking over thinking: what am I doing with this note? Just stop it.
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Tim Sherwood slams Chelsea’s controversial pre-match huddle against Newcastle as ’embarrassing’ and ‘absolute nonsense’
That performance against PSG was worrying. Compare it to Newcastle’s game against Barcelona – yes they got beaten heavily but for three quarters of that game they were the better team. I didn’t like the way Chelsea lost against PSG.
And I think Chelsea are right up against it to qualify for the Champions League this year. They’ve got terrible fixtures. If Arsenal had Chelsea’s run-in, I’d say Manchester City are still in the title race. That’s how hard it is.
If you’re Chelsea manager, you’re going to be judged on the big games. And Liam Rosenior’s had six big games – three against Arsenal, two against PSG and one against Newcastle, and lost them all.
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Jamie O’Hara believes Chelsea have ‘gone backwards’ under the ownership of Todd Boehly following their Champions League exit to PSG
Chelsea have to qualify for the Champions League. I heard Rosenior in an interview a few weeks ago saying: wait until the summer. It sounds like we’ve got someone coming in, but I’m not sure those type of players will want to come in if Chelsea aren’t playing Champions League football.
Will Enzo Fernandez stay at Chelsea?
Chelsea were absolutely ripped to shreds and Enzo Fernandez was just being honest. Will he be here? He just doesn’t know.
He’ll have to stay, they paid £100m for him and they’re not getting that £100m back if they sell him this summer, unless he has an unbelievable World Cup.
With Financial Fair Play rules and everything, they can’t afford to let him go for a huge loss, unless they sell an academy player for huge money – and they’re not selling Reece James who has just signed a new contract. So I can’t see Enzo Fernandez going anywhere.
How many players are Chelsea away from challenging?
Chelsea are a million miles away from the Premier League. They’re very inconsistent and they’ve got no real experience – even though they have players who won World Cups.
They haven’t got Thiago Silva who for me has been majorly, majorly missed since the day he left. Chelsea keep on buying young players when that experience is needed.
Against PSG, when you go 3-2 down in that first leg, that experience gets the team together and makes sure it stays at 3-2. It may go to 4-2, you’ve still got a chance. But don’t make it bigger then 4-2, and it goes to 5-2. They way they were beaten, I just can’t get my head around it.
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Gary Cotterill rounds up all the big talking points from a disappointing night at Stamford Bridge that saw Chelsea well beaten by the holders PSG
They absolutely need a new goalkeeper in the summer. I don’t know why they didn’t go for Gianluigi Donnarumma. Him and David Raya, they save you points. If Raya wasn’t at Arsenal, they wouldn’t be in the position they are now.
For every great Raya save, I could match that with a mistake from Robert Sanchez or Filip Jorgensen. Those two give away points every now and again. I go to Stamford Bridge to watch the games and they create nervousness to the fans. And if you’re giving that to the fans, what are you giving to the players?
Since day dot, go through every league winner and very rarely do you see people win things with a 6/10 or 7/10 goalkeeper.
