Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand lashed out at Chelsea for their contentious huddle around the centre circle before kick-off. The move drew backlash in the 1-0 Premier League defeat by Newcastle United at the weekend.
Anthony Gordon's 18th-minute strike proved to be the difference between the two teams at Stamford Bridge as the Blues succumbed to defeat despite seeing two-thirds of the ball, failing to score off three shots on target.
The Blues' pre-match huddle near the centre circle came to the limelight, with officials said to have 'warned' the club not to do so before kick-off to avoid risking 'mass confrontations'.
Sharing his thoughts on pre-match huddles, Ferdinand explained on his eponymous "Rio Ferdinand Presents" why he 'hates' huddles:
"I f**k*ng hate huddles. Why? The biggest load of rubbish ever. You're talking done. You done all talking in the changing room. We've had a meeting at a hotel. You done meetings on the Friday before a game, on a Satuday as well.
"And you're going to do a huddle to make people think that you're all locked in. No. It's already done before. This huddle s**t, it's for the fans. What message is getting put in there, that everyone's going to go, guys. Did you hear that?
He added:
"I don't reckon anyone's walked out of a huddle, going on the pitch like that, now we're doing and gone. Now I know where I'm at with this. Do you think that happens? It's a load of bollocks."
The Blues are next in action at home against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 on Tuesday (March 17), trailing the tie 5-2 on aggregate.
Chelsea boss on whether his team would continue the huddle against PSG
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenoir (left - Source: Getty
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenoir (left - Source: Getty
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenoir has said that his team will continue the huddle ahead of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second-leg game against holders Paris Saint-Germain.
The Blues have a massive mountain to climb but will draw confidence from their 2013-14 quarter-final win against the same opponents. Trailing 3-1 from the first leg in Paris, the Premier League side won the return 2-0 at home to advance on away goals.
"The lads always wanted to show unity and togetherness: the lads will continue to do that," Rosenoir said. "We don't want to antagonise and bring the noise on ourselves. We will make a decision on where we do that tomorrow."
With the away goals rule no longer applicable now, Chelsea need to score three times without reply to force extra time or win by four goals to reach the quarter-finals.