Chelsea coach Rosenior admitted his team missed Enzo Fernandez's technical quality against Manchester City, though he stands by his decision to suspend him.
Chelsea's season hit bottom on Sunday after falling 3-0 to Manchester City at Stamford Bridge. Second-half goals from Nico O'Reilly, Marc Guehi, and Jeremy Doku highlighted the team's lack of confidence and cohesion.
The loss leaves the Blues sixth in the Premier League, four points behind Liverpool and the Champions League places. With five losses in six matches, Rosenior's honeymoon — who replaced Maresca in January — is over, and frustrated fans have expressed their anger.
The absence of Fernandez, still suspended for his comments about a possible exit, was one of the main talking points of the match. Rosenior admitted his quality was missed against City: “Any team would notice Enzo’s absence.”
“I made the decision, with the support of the board and the sporting directors, thinking about the club’s future. Enzo spoke with the key players and with us. There is nothing personal; he will rejoin on Tuesday. He is a great player and an excellent person.”
The collapse worried the manager, as Chelsea failed to score for a third league match. After an even first half, the home side folded after City’s goal. “We weren’t up to it in the second half. It’s a story that has been repeating itself for a month now when it comes to how we handle setbacks,” Rosenior explained.
“When you go a goal down against teams as good as this one, what you have to do over the next five minutes is stay in the match. In the end, it was a very, very difficult second half. I can’t say there was a lack of effort, but there was a lack of confidence in the second half.”
As Chelsea prepares to host third-place Manchester United, Rosenior took responsibility for the bad run and demanded an immediate response: “I am the one responsible. This is a team; we must improve our habits and values. We have to win.
We are in a difficult moment, and next week we have another key match. We must not forget that we are facing an opponent in great form, fighting for the title, but we need to win games like this. That’s why I am here.”
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