After Chelsea’s loss to PSG, Luis Enrique’s post-match assessment offered a reminder to Liam Rosenior that the most powerful weapon in football isn’t a new formation, but a settled identity.
The PSG clash was a rollercoaster of emotions with the lead constantly changing hands until a series of mistakes saw Chelsea put to the sword.
Filip Jorgensen will take the blame for the third, but it wasn’t just him, there was a slopiness in defence throughout the 90 minutes, and this isn’t for the first time this season.
Too often Chelsea have thrown away leads or made sloppy mistakes that have seen them drop an awful amount of points. And you’ve got the discipline issue to mix in with that.
However, Luis Enrique may just have offered Liam Rosenior a valuable bit of advice on how he can overcome one of his problems at Chelsea.
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Luis Enrique explains his tactical thinking against Chelsea
The PSG boss was rather mute about Chelsea, but he did offer a valuable bit of advice that Rosenior needs to take and use at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking after the game, Enrique pointed out how he didn’t panic and kept the same system and tactics that he knew during the 5-2 win.
“We’ve played this type of matches throughout the league phase so we’re used to it. Every time they equalised, we kept playing the same way.”
This is an interesting take from a manager as successful as Luis Enrique has been, that there’s just as much tactically in playing the same way rather than making a change at every moment.
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Liam Rosenior needs to listen to Luis Enrique
To find stability, Liam Rosenior must look at the mirror held up by Luis Enrique during Chelsea’s 5-2 collapse in Paris.
Rosenior’s constant tinkering, shifting between a back three and four, moving Reece James into midfield, and rotating goalkeepers based on the opponent, has left the squad without a settled rhythm.
Enrique’s admission that PSG changed nothing after Chelsea equalised serves as a blueprint for success at the elite level. By contrast, Rosenior’s tendency to over-engineer every phase of play has led to catastrophic errors, which even saw them sit back against Leeds United and Burnley.
To salvage the season, the manager must stop chasing the perfect tactical response and instead provide his players with the security of a consistent formation and a permanent starting XI.
Only through familiarity and a settled structure can Chelsea transform from a set of reactive individuals into a cohesive, disciplined unit.
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