Liam Rosenior has already managed 9 games for Chelsea, and that means 18 press conference in his month at the club. Today was the 19th.
As always, the most interesting thing to discuss was the team news and injury info. In this busy period where a lot of rotation is required, Rosenior always has an update.
Chelsea absentees close in on returns
Andrey Santos against Man City.
Andrey Santos against Man City. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Midfielder Andrey Santos limped off late on on Saturday, so the first question was about him and his status:
“Andrey trained today. He’s a soldier. He had a swollen ankle, but he’s fine for tomorrow,” Rosenior reported. Then it was onto people who have been out a little longer:
“Tosin is looking good, he trained today. Romeo [Lavia] , we have a really detailed plan for him. He was back on the training pitch with us, it was great to see him, but we need to make sure when he’s back that he’s back for good.”
Santos is the big news. He’s now basically a first team regular, and will start tomorrow if he really is 100%. Tosin is a backup at best, and may have lost further ground in the pecking order with the arrival of Mamadou Sarr.
As for Lavia, even though he’s been back training for a few weeks, we don’t expect to see him getting minutes in the first team anytime soon. This “detailed plan” is going to involve a very slow and steady approach.
In other news…
Rosenior also joked about the “conspiracy” concerning Reece James, who has missed two games in a row and now could miss another.
Liam Delap is also getting a lot of criticism at the moment, but his goals per minute stat isn’t too bad. Maybe he just needs more time on the pitch?
More Stories about Andrey Santos
Robert Sanchez and Liam Rosenior.
Liam Rosenior speaks to Sky Sports at full time.
Liam Rosenior speaks to the media after Chelsea's win over Wolves.