Chelsea FC v Paris Saint-Germain FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg
Liam Rosenior had a note for Alejandro Garnacho before he was brought on against PSG (Picture: Getty)
Liam Rosenior was accused of playing to the gallery after another of his gimmicks was caught on camera during the closing stages of Chelsea’s ‘shameful’ defeat against Paris Saint-Germain.
The Blues already had a mountain to climb in their attempts to overturn a 5-2 first leg deficit and reach the quarter finals at the expense of the reigning European champions, before a calamitous start to the return leg put paid to any chance of a comeback.
After Mamadou Sarr’s error was punished emphatically by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the sixth minute there was no way back for Chelsea who conceded again on the quarter hour mark when Bradley Barcola applied a stunning finish to a flowing move.
At that stage total annihilation looked on the cards but Luis Enrique’s side settled for just one more goal with Senny Mayulu putting the gloss on an 8-2 aggregate thrashing with another exquisite effort.
With the rest of the game a formality, Rosenior opted to make several changes in order to preserve the energy levels of several key players ahead of Saturday’s Premier League match against Everton.
While there was logic in that decision, his insistence on arming Alejandro Garnacho with written instructions ahead of his introduction with 30 minutes left of a contest that had already been decided caused consternation and bemusement.
Rosenior’s methods and management have already led to unflattering comparisons with David Brent over the course of his tenure so far and the note he handed to Garnacho was beyond comprehension for former Chelsea defender and World Cup winner Frank Leboeuf.
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Chelsea were handed a Champions League lesson by PSG (Picture: Getty)
Chelsea FC v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia tortured Chelsea over both legs (Picture: Getty)
Asked how we would’ve reacted to be passed a manager’s scribblings, he told ESPN FC: ‘I would’ve gone to the touchline and asked if it was a joke or are you kidding? You think the things I read will be useful right now?
‘It doesn’t mean anything. Maybe he was writing a joke. The funny thing is the guy who received it was looking for another player to give him instructions.
‘Maybe the player he was talking about was already substituted we don’t know. Maybe he lost his mind, that was insane.
‘He’s not the only one to do those kinds of things. I don’t know what the new coaches from the new era are trying to show us, we know it’s completely useless.’
Chelsea FC v Paris Saint-Germain FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg
Enzo Fernandez has cast doubt on his Chelsea future (Picture: Getty)
Chelsea FC v Paris Saint-Germain FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg
Liam Rosenior is struggling to win over Chelsea fans (Picture: Getty)
The remainder of another chaotic Chelsea campaign will not boil down to whether or not Rosenior can inspire a top four finish and make progress in the FA Cup with a home quarter-final against Port Vale on the horizon.
Asked what his message would be to a dressing room likely to be in disarray, particularly in light of Enzo Fernandez’s comments on his future, Leboeuf added: ‘I don’t know if people would allow me to talk but I’d say to the guys that what we did was shameful.
‘We didn’t do what we had to do, especially the second leg. The first leg we made mistakes and were punished.
‘But you cannot have this attitude in the second leg where you have to make sure the opponent is going to struggle.
‘You play at home, you have to have a warrior attitude, be aggressive in the right way, you have to scare the opponent and show them you are at home and it will be this way and not the other way.’
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