Chelsea were thrashed 3-0 by Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday as the Blues' poor form continued - and Liam Rosenior has now reflected on the result
Chelsea's English head coach Liam Rosenior
Liam Rosenior watched his side lose 3-0 to Manchester City on Sunday(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
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Liam Rosenior has conceded that leaving Enzo Fernandez out of the squad to play Manchester City "possibly" contributed to Chelsea's defeat. The Blues were thrashed 3-0 by City at Stamford Bridge on Sunday in a result which hurt their chances of qualifying for the Champions League.
Fernandez has sat out of Chelsea's last two games as part of an internal punishment for comments he made during the international break. The Argentina international vocalised his love of Madrid and hinted at a possible move to Spain in the future.
Rosenior said his captain had "crossed the line" and therefore decided to drop him for the 7-0 thrashing of Port Vale in the FA Cup, as well as the Premier League game against City. Fernandez wasn't missed against the League One strugglers, but Chelsea crumbled under intense pressure by City, who romped to victory in the second half.
Asked if the decision to drop Fernandez harmed Chelsea's chances, Rosenior replied: "Possibly. Possibly, in hindsight, you see 20-20 in hindsight. Enzo's a top player and he's a top character and I'm looking forward to having him back next week.
"Sometimes you make decisions not based on the short-term, you make decisions based on what you want to see long-term. And it was a long-term decision that myself, the directors and the club were aligned with the leadership group of players that we made to make sure that our values and our culture in the long-term is in the right place.
"But Enzo has had the conversations he's needed to have. He's been fantastic in the last few days in supporting myself and the team and I can't wait to have him back in the squad."
Fernandez will return to the side against Manchester United this weekend, with Rosenior under pressure to deliver a result after suffering five defeats in the last six games across all competitions. Chelsea were dumped out of the Champions League 8-2 on aggregate by Paris Saint-Germain and have lost three straight league games against Newcastle, Everton and City.
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 04: Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella of Chelsea react on the bench prior to the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match between Chelsea and Port Vale on April 04, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Enzo Fernandez has missed the last two games(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
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The Blues remain sixth, but are now four points behind Liverpool in fifth and have clubs queuing up behind them. With six games remaining, Everton and Brentford are just a point behind, while Brighton and Sunderland are two points back.
"Right now we are still in the race for the Champions League," Rosenior added. "And we still have the possibility to win the FA Cup. But I need to win in this moment. This is a huge football club. When I first came, I never asked for a lot of time because I understand this club. I understand the traditions and the history of this club.
"I would like to have that time and I'm confident that in that time, you can create something very, very special within the time that it takes, which even someone as experienced as Pep or Jürgen Klopp when he won the titles he did at Liverpool, they had a year to sort things out.
"I've come in January. It's not an excuse. It's a reality. I need to win in the now and that's what I'll be focused on. I'm not a manager that hides behind maybe we need to do something with other players in the transfer market. I need to change it [results] now. That's why I'm here.
"We have to keep working, we have to keep trying to improve. I have to get the team selection right on the balance of our attack and play, but also defending better in certain moments and that's what we'll focus on."
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