Liam Rosenior makes Robert Sanchez feelings clear and defends his two Chelsea team-mates

Liam Rosenior has made his feelings clear about Robert Sanchez ahead of Chelsea's clash against Aston Villa. The 28-year-old goalkeeper had a few shaky moments during the Blues' 2-1 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday evening.

The Gunners scored each of their two goals from corners, throwing Sanchez under the spotlight. The Spain international, who has quietly become a key player for Chelsea this season, was at fault for the second, misjudging the flight of the ball.

Speaking to reporters at Cobham on Monday afternoon, the Blues boss defended his shot-stopper. Rosenior said: "I think each player adds to the overall picture and functionality of your team.

"So yes, the first few minutes we had a few nervy spells. The fact that we played out from the back affected their press and gave us space in the areas that we wanted to have those spaces. I think that's just as clear.

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"So I don't want to single out players and say what they can or can't improve. It's about the functionality of the team. I don't think anyone can say in the moment, other than the two set play goals, my team did not function well in the game.

"By the way, the league leaders, top of the Champions League. We functioned in a very good way for a lot of the game. The reason we lost the game was we didn't take care of the moments.

"Nothing to do with Rob's build, nothing to do with the way that we played. We have to manage those moments to win games of football."

Rosenior also leapt to the defence of Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez, who were shown red and yellow cards respectively during the Arsenal clash. The Chelsea boss said: "It needs to improve. My job is to create a culture of accountability.

"If you make a mistake, you have to hold your hands up to make sure it never happens again. You need teammates to help you but it comes down to yourself as well. Pedro has apologised to the group. I need to see an improvement in the behaviour now. It's not just Pedro."

Rosenior added: "Enzo is a top leader. It's something that needs to improve. We are one of the youngest teams in Europe. Sometimes you need to go through experiences to improve. I don't want it to be a learning experience where we fail to achieve what we want to achieve."

On how he plans to solve the squad's discipline problem, Rosenior said: "It's showing the value of not having a red card is. Our percentage chance of winning goes through the roof.

"Reacting to setbacks, sometimes it's giving the ball away, sometimes it's the referee making a decision you disagree with. You pick players who are showing that improvement.

"I can't afford to go through a season where there is a red card in every two or three games. I need to do my team selection based on that."

Turning his attention to Aston Villa on Wednesday night, Rosenior claimed he anticipates a 'very difficult game'. The Chelsea boss said: "The reason Villa score great goals is because they have great attacking players.

"It will be a very difficult game. They're very clinical in terms of the xG they create. They are going to have a reaction from their last result so we will prepare for a very difficult game."

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