Liam Rosenior has gone above and beyond since joining Chelsea to maintain a good atmosphere. He has praised players both individually and collectively, talked up our goals, expressed confidence in the club’s general direction, and much more. The acclaim has occasionally even gone so far as to be unjustified, particularly when the performances’ actual quality did not align with the idealized portrayal.
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However, even Rosenior appeared considerably more irritated following the loss last night. A significant portion of that was caused by circumstances outside of our control (such as refereeing decisions), but an even greater portion was caused by our own performance: we were ineffective with the ball, second-best without it, and generally unimpressive in every phase. Although we’ve been incredibly uneven, we haven’t experienced many days like this—going 90 minutes without feeling anything.
That was always going to be the concern given the spectacular fall in Paris on Wednesday and the circumstances surrounding it. Even though Newcastle was also suffering from a hangover from Europe, they were unable to pass up the one chance we gave them through a defensive error. That would turn out to be all that was required. The objective was a tactical problem.
Compared to most teams, we press differently. It’s a novel method of pressing. We avoid stepping on the press and failing to cover it in a way that would have been appropriate. Errors occur. They had nothing. We gave them a goal while they had nothing in the game. We discuss the media.
We controlled the game because Newcastle had to punt long balls back to us, which I believe was due to the press. However, we make a mistake at that same moment, and it seems like every error we make now ends up in the back of our net, so we must be sure to stop such blunders.
“We had control, dominance, chances, and situations over the first fifteen to twenty minutes […], and that goal provided Newcastle the energy they needed to finish the game the way they wanted to play.”
I see it in two ways. First, in the last third, we were a little out of mental freshness. A combination, the appropriate choice, or that momentary quality. Secondly, we must ensure that we remain. The opposing team won’t score if we don’t.
I’m disappointed that we didn’t keep a clean sheet today because, if they’re being honest, Newcastle didn’t really create anything. We set a target for them, and in order for us to get better in the future, I really, really need to find a solution.
“The injuries are challenging right now, particularly in offensive areas. I will never offer justifications. While injuries are a part of the season, your wingers are three of our most crucial players when it comes to opening a low block. […] That being said, I believe we had enough opportunities to reach the final third; we simply failed to capitalize on them. Other than that, they’ve scored a goal due to a single error; I don’t recall them having a clear opportunity to score our goal.
After the way the game in Paris finished, we wanted a response, but we didn’t receive one. Not very good! The next game is a bit of a non-event, despite the occasion and the opposition, but we better snap out of this quick if we want to stay in top-five contention.
