Liam Rosenior, Chelsea’s head coach, has responded to Marc Cucurella’s controversial interview with The Athletic. He said he was disappointed that the Spanish defender spoke about his problems in public rather than bringing them to the coaching staff first.
In the interview, Cucurella said he was unhappy with the club’s direction and that it would be hard for him to turn down a return to Barcelona. He also criticised the decision to fire former manager Enzo Maresca earlier in the season. The 27-year-old also questioned Chelsea’s policy of signing mostly young players, saying the team lacked enough experience to compete at the highest level.
Rosenior, who was moved from Strasbourg to Stamford Bridge in January, has led the team to 10 wins in 19 games so far. But Chelsea are currently sixth in the Premier League and have lost four games in a row to Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle, and Everton. Rosenior talked about Cucurella’s comments directly in his pre-match press conference before Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Port Vale:
“I had a fantastic conversation with Marc yesterday. Half an hour in my office. The disappointing thing for me, what we’re trying to create here in my time, I’ve only been here for 3 months. I’ve said to them [the players] from day one, if they’ve got any issue with how we do things, to come and speak to me, and speak to the sporting directors.
“My disappointment in Marc’s interview is where it went to. I think he should have spoken to us first about the things that he’s feeling. I want players to feel like they can speak openly and honestly for the benefit of the football club.”
Rosenior said that Cucurella’s situation was different from Enzo Fernandez’s, even though he was upset about it. He also said that the defender would be ready to play in the Port Vale match on Saturday. During this difficult time, the head coach made it clear that communication within the club is a key part of the culture he wants to create.
Chelsea have 48 points from 31 games, which puts them one point behind Liverpool in fifth place in the race for a spot in the Champions League. Rosenior will hope that settling these internal disagreements will help keep things steady during a crucial stretch of the league season, with eight games left.
Rosenior Sanctions Enzo Fernandez for Real Madrid Speculation
In a different but related story, Rosenior said that Enzo Fernandez will not play in Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Port Vale or the following Premier League game against Manchester City due to disciplinary reasons. The Argentine midfielder had hinted at a possible move to Real Madrid in public comments. He told reporters that he would love to live in Spain because Madrid is like Buenos Aires.
Rosenior said that he talked to Fernandez an hour before the press conference and that the club have made the decision together. He said they had crossed a line regarding the culture they were trying to build. The Chelsea head coach, on the other hand, made it clear that Fernandez is not out of the picture and called the punishment a sanction instead of a permanent ban. He also said that he still respects Fernandez as a person and a player.