Liam Rosenior, the manager of Chelsea, has warned his players before their trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday. He says that breaking through low-block defenses depends on the quality of each player, not on tactical instructions. The 41-year-old explained this during his pre-match press conference, admitting that his team have had trouble when the other team sit deep.
The Blues are in sixth place in the Premier League and are only one point away from the Europa League spots. Rosenior has had a good start to his time at Stamford Bridge, winning three of his first four games in all competitions and scoring ten goals. But Chelsea had a hard time beating Pafos in the middle of the week. Fans even booed the team off at halftime, but they did win in the end.
Rosenior gave an honest answer when asked about the difficulty of facing defensive setups. He said:
“Playing against low blocks, sometimes a coach can only do so much. It’s down to the players. You can position your players in certain ways, you can get timing, you can hit the ball towards certain locations in the box, but it comes down to quality. Football is about the quality of your players.”
Rosenior also believes that his team could find answers no matter the tactical approach they face against Crystal Palace. He said:
“Why I’m so happy with this group is because I think I have the quality here that can unlock low blocks or high pressing teams or whatever it is that we come up against. It’s just giving them the tools to do that.”
The comments make it clear that Rosenior is demanding that his players step up when things get tough. Chelsea haven’t lost to Palace in their last 16 Premier League games, going back to 2017.
Chelsea Play Palace as Rosenior Looks For His Fourth Win
Chelsea could win four of Rosenior’s first five games in charge when they play Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday. The match comes at a time when the two clubs are dealing with different concerns. Chelsea are starting to settle down under their new manager, while Palace are losing ground.
Oliver Glasner’s Palace team haven’t won any of their last 10 games across all competitions. He also said last week that he will leave the Eagles at the end of the season. The home team haven’t won a league game in seven tries and have lost four of their last six, making Selhurst Park feel uneasy.
Meanwhile, the Blues’ hopes of making it to the Champions League were boosted by their win over Pafos on Wednesday, but their performance raised doubts about their ability to break down well-organized defenses.