Liam Rosenior has responded to calls to exchange error-prone goalkeepers Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen after Chelsea’s Champions League defeat to PSG.
Chelsea’s Champions League hopes are hanging by a thread after the Blues were beaten 5-2 by holders PSG in the primary leg of their last-16 tie.
The sport was level at 2-2 heading into the ultimate half an hour after Chelsea twice got here from behind, Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernandez cancelling out goals from Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele.
But a costly error from Jorgensen saw Vitinha restore PSG’s lead and spark a late collapse from Chelsea who conceded twice more late on through impressive substitute Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Chelsea beat PSG in last summer’s Club World Cup final but now look set to be eliminated by the Champions League holders, having to overturn a three-goal deficit in next week’s return leg at Stamford Bridge.
Sanchez has been Chelsea’s No. 1 for many of the season but was dropped by Rosenior after his poor performance within the London derby defeat to Arsenal at first of the month.
Jorgensen has already made a costly mistake since coming into the side, nonetheless, and Jamie Carragher warned Chelsea after the PSG defeat that they might not win one other major trophy until they sign a brand new goalkeeper.
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‘It was an excellent game, I feel the very best game actually I’ve seen within the Champions League this season,’ Carragher told CBS Sports.
‘Chelsea didn’t need to lose 5-2 but they’ve only got themselves responsible for that.
‘I’ve been critical of Chelsea for a very long time, but I’m being deadly serious, they will’t go any further until they sort the goalkeeping issue out. I’ve been saying this consistently.
‘The brand new ownership have are available and spent absolute billions and immediately they’ve got some great players within the team and I feel in these early stages Liam Rosenior has been sensible.
‘I believed Rosenior as a manager tonight, taking a look at how he set the team up, caused PSG real problems, they didn’t need to lose as in the way in which the sport was arrange and the way they played.
‘But big mistakes cost them at centre-back and goalkeeper and that has been a problem and can proceed to be a problem for any Chelsea manager going forward once they’re attempting to win the Premier League and Champions League because they’re 1,000,000 miles off it.
‘That’s why they lost tonight, not because they haven’t got great attacking players or the manager knows what he’s doing, tactically they were unbelievable tonight.
‘They were let down by a mistake from the goalkeeper at 2-2 after which the sport just completely unravelled and now rapidly it looks like they’ve got no probability of going through.’
The goalkeeper situation at Chelsea has been a problem for a very long time but Rosenior claimed each Sanchez and Jorgensen were on the required level after his side’s heavy defeat in Paris.
Asked whether he believes either goalkeeper were ‘at the extent’ to play within the Champions League, Rosenior – who replaced Enzo Maresca at Chelsea in January – said: ‘Yeah, each of them.
‘They’ve different qualities. Rob is outstanding from crosses, an excellent shot-stopper. I’m attempting to win within the short term and win in the long run as well.
‘Filip has different qualities and certainly one of his qualities, which he showed against Aston Villa, certainly one of the explanations we won 4-1 at Aston Villa, we were so calm in our possession moments, which we weren’t before, not only on Rob but on the entire team.
‘Coming here against a very high-pressing team, in case you stay calm and play through the initial pressure, you’ll be able to cause a whole lot of problems, which we did.
‘It’s just painful that we’ve made that mistake in that moment to make the sport 3-2 and now we’re in a really, very difficult position on this tie now with the top result.’
Discussing Jorgensen’s error, Rosenior added: ‘Players make mistakes. Filip’s not the primary one to make a mistake. That’s a part of football.
‘Obviously, it’s bitter… in that moment, at 2-2, I feel we were within the ascendancy. We were an inch away from going even to 3-3. I feel Joao Pedro’s goal was like an inch offside.
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‘But in the highest level, within the Champions League level, it’s high-quality margins. And the fifth goal was essentially the most painful one, we don’t settle ourselves down.
‘We don’t take care of the essential pattern of play. They rating a fifth goal and make the tie very difficult for us.’
Rosenior also revealed Jorgensen ‘held his hands up within the dressing room’ after the match.
‘I feel the very first thing, credit to him,’ Rosenior said. ‘He held his hands up within the dressing room. Mistakes occur. I make mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes.
‘Sometimes they’re more costly and more painful than other times. That is certainly one of those moments.
‘What we have now to do for Rob and for Filip and for all the players is take care of one another. It is a big test of our character.
‘Now we have an enormous game in two days against Newcastle that we’d like to get back for. I need to see the actual response, the resilience in the subsequent game.’
Chelsea, currently fifth within the Premier League, face fellow Champions League hopefuls Newcastle on Saturday while Ligue 1 leaders PSG have the weekend off.
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