Liam Rosenior defends Chelsea FC pre-match huddle ahead of Paris Saint-Germain clash, saying ritual shows unity, not disrespect

LIAM ROSENIO insisted Chelsea’s controversial pre-match huddle is not meant to antagonise opponents as he refused to revealed if they will carry out their ritual before Tuesday’s clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

Rosenior’s players were involved in a bizarre incident prior to their 1-0 defeat against Newcastle on Saturday when referee Paul Tierney found himself in the middle of their huddle just before kick-off.

The Blues have taken to holding their pre-match get-together in the centre of the pitch, with some pundits claiming the move is disrespectful to the opposition.

Rosenior is adamant the ritual is not designed to intimidate, but he opted against confirming if they would continue to do it in the Champions League last-16 second leg against holders PSG at Stamford Bridge.

“I think it’s been blown out of proportion. It’s a small thing among many serious things that we need to address, such as the massive game against PSG,” Rosenior told reporters on Monday

“The lads have always wanted to show unity and togetherness, think they’ll continue to do that. But what we don’t want is to antagonise and bring more noise on ourselves.

“We’ll make the decision on where we do that on the pitch tomorrow.”

Rosenior said he plans to meet this week with the referees’ organisation PGMOL, to discuss decisions that have gone against his team.

“I think it’s a distraction for the media,” he said.

“The huddle was something the players wanted to show unity. They’re a good group. We never wanted to antagonise anyone or create noise.

“We have a huge game against PSG tomorrow. We have an opportunity to do something really special. We know we need to be perfect. I’d rather focus on that.”

Chelsea defender Reece James is potentially facing several weeks out after injuring his hamstring during the Newcastle match.

The 26-year-old signed a new six-year contract on Friday but will be unavailable to Rosenior, beginning with Tuesday’s game.

Malo Gusto could also miss out through illness as the Blues look to achieve an astonishing fightback from 5-2 down.

“Reece felt something in his hamstring at the end of the game against Newcastle,” said Rosenior.

“It could be (weeks) with a hamstring injury, it’s never great. Hopefully we can get him scanned, find out the full extent then we’ll know more.

“We know what an important leader he is in the group. He’s our captain.”

 The Sun Malaysia