Liam Rosenior hints he was ready to drop Chelsea star after Champions League win | Football

Liam Rosenior has hinted he was ready to drop Robert Sanchez in favour of Filip Jorgensen before the Chelsea back-up goalkeeper suffered an injury in the Champions League win over Pafos.

Jorgensen started Wednesday’s European clash at Stamford Bridge but picked up a problem in the first half and was seen gesturing towards the Chelsea bench.

The Denmark international made it to half-time but was unable to continue after the break, making way for Chelsea’s No. 1 Sanchez.

Neither goalkeeper had a huge amount to do given Chelsea’s superiority over Cypriot minnows Pafos, although the hosts only won by one goal – Moises Caicedo’s 78th-minute header providing decisive.

Speaking after the hard-fought but deserved win, which leaves Chelsea eighth in the Champions League ahead of their final group game, Rosenior confirmed Jorgensen was forced off with an ‘unfortunate’ and ‘devastating’ injury.

The new Stamford Bridge boss also made a point of saying Jorgensen had ‘really impressed’ him since joining the club, not just in games but also on the training pitch.

Rosenior added that he ‘hoped’ Jorgensen would return to fitness ‘really, really quickly’, suggesting the 23-year-old is in contention to take the No. 1 shirt off Sanchez.

Asked about Jorgensen’s half-time substitution, Rosenior said: ‘Yeah, unfortunately he picked something up. I’m devastated for him because he’s really impressed me in his time, not just the game at Charlton but how he’s trained.

‘Rob Sanchez came on, made a fantastic punch with one of the few balls they put into our box. And hopefully Filip can get better really, really quick.’

Rosenior simply replied ‘no’ when asked whether he knew what the injury was or when he expected Jorgensen to be back available.

Sanchez’s form for Chelsea has been a talking point for well over a year, with a number of pundits questioning whether he is of the quality required to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world.

The Spaniard made two errors in Chelsea’s Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg defeat to Arsenal in what was only Rosenior’s second game in charge of the Blues.

While Sanchez’s inconsistent shot-stopping has been an issue, his ability with his feet may also be a problem under Rosenior, who likes his teams to play out from the back when they can.

For a long time it looked as though Champions League minnows Pafos could frustrate Chelsea and potentially even cost them a spot in the top-eight, the places that advance straight to the knockout stages.

But Caicedo popped up with the crucial winner and Rosenior was full of praise for the Chelsea midfielder after the game.

‘I was delighted for Moises Caicedo to get the goal and the win we deserved,’ the former Strasbourg and Hull City manager said.

‘Moi is an outstanding player, a world class midfield player. We are always a threat on set plays. He is a top player.

‘When you play against a low block your pivot players play higher up and hopefully he can continue chipping in with goals. Of course you want to score more goals but the reality is we are in the top eight.

‘We have to keep focusing on the job and that is to win as many games as possible. I can’t affect how people judge me but I am very excited for the future of this club.

‘I would the fans to be with us and with me but to do that I need to earn that.’

Chelsea’s Champions League fate will be decided next week when they travel to Italy to face Napoli, managed by their former boss Antonio Conte.

Before that the Blues, currently sixth in the Premier League, return to domestic action with a London derby against Crystal Palace.

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