‘Accountability’—Liam Rosenior Threatens Consequences for Chelsea Stars

Another unnecessary red card has ramped the pressure up on Chelsea’s young squad.

Liam Rosenior made himself perfectly clear. | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior has warned his squad that future displays of ill-discipline will lead to spells out of the starting lineup.

Recent red cards for both Wesley Fofana and Pedro Neto, both of which were thoroughly avoidable, contributed to an unwanted reputation for Chelsea as a team with severe disciplinary issues—the Blues now have nine red cards across all competitions this season, not including a sending off for former manager Enzo Maresca.

“It needs to improve,” a stern Rosenior stressed. “My job is to create a culture of accountability where if you make a mistake, it’s O.K., you hold your hands up and you make sure it doesn’t happen again. But you have to hold your hands up to the original mistake. If I make the wrong team selection or I get something wrong, my job is to be accountable. And it’s the same for my players in that moment.

“Pedro has apologized to the group. We miss him for Wednesday. I just need to see an improvement in the behavior now. It’s not just Pedro. We’ve had bookings, people speaking about dissent. We’ve had needless bookings in terms of fouls. If we are to improve and get to where we want to be, we have to make a conscious step now to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

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Rosenior Ready to Make Tough Calls

Disciplinary issues will no longer be tolerated. | Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

The idea of a disciplinary issue was brushed off by Maresca, who contributed six of Chelsea’s 25 yellow cards for dissent so far this season, but Rosenior is not hiding from the facts.

“If you look at our stats, when we have 11 men on the pitch, before my job here and after my job here, our percentage chance of winning goes through the roof,” he insisted. “That needs to be motivation in itself to make sure we stay disciplined in key moments.

“Reacting to setbacks. Sometimes a setback is giving the ball away. Sometimes a setback is a referee making a decision you disagree with. In that moment, you have to react positively. Then you have to think of the next thing. That’s the things that we have to go after in order for our discipline to improve.”

Those who rise to Rosenior’s challenge will be rewarded with a prominent role in the team, while any players who fail to prove their discipline will not be trusted in high-pressure moments.

“I think the first thing, you pick players who are showing that improvement,” he concluded. “I can’t afford to go for a season every two or three games with a red card. It’s just not possible.

“I need to see improvement in that. I need to adjust my team selection based on who is showing those capabilities.”

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First Test Comes Against Aston Villa

Chelsea will have to cope without Pedro Neto (left). | Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Getty Images

Chelsea operate under immense pressure regardless of these issues, but the spotlight will be firmly on Rosenior’s squad when they take to the field to face Aston Villa on Wednesday.

Unai Emery’s side are in a slump of their own, winning just once in all competitions since the end of January, and are now a direct rival in the race for Champions League qualification. This fixture is about as important as they come and a game that Rosenior will know he needs all 11 players on the pitch to win.

The boss will have to combat the trip to Villa without Neto, who will serve a one-game suspension for his red card last time out.

Alternative options on the wing are fairly slim for Chelsea. Neto will take a seat on the sidelines alongside the injured Jamie Gittens, while Estêvão will be restricted to a substitute role if he manages to pass a late fitness test.

The door will, therefore, open to Alejandro Garnacho. The former Manchester United winger has shown glimpses of his talent but is another playing under immense pressure after a major drop-off in form which has left him struggling for minutes under Rosenior.

While Rosenior will want on-field success from Garnacho, he will also be watching the Argentine’s conduct, challenging the 21-year-old to keep his head when Neto could not.

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