Rosenior reveals that Chelsea duo could be back against Brentford | OneFootball

Liam Rosenior revealed that Cole Palmer and Reece James could be fit enough to play against Brentford this weekend.

Palmer missed Chelsea’s FA Cup win over Charlton as a precaution and was not fit enough to feature against Arsenal either.

James also missed the Charlton after picking up a knock. Rosenior gave fitness updates on the pair after Chelsea’s 3-2 loss to Arsenal in the EFL Cup semi-final.

“The game came too early for him,” he said. “Hopefully, he’ll be available to train on Friday, and hopefully he’ll be ready for us to play on Saturday. 

“He had a little minor strain in his thigh. If you play a player too early in January with a minor strain, it can turn to six weeks. I can’t afford to lose Cole Palmer for six weeks because he’s that good.”

“Reece James had a big knock on his hip, it was too sore for him today, so hopefully he’ll be back for Saturday. Jamie Gittens was ill last night, Liam Delap was due to play today but was ill four hours before the game. We couldn’t play him.”

Robert Sanchez was at fault for two goals in the match, the first when he came out to deal with a Declan Rice corner and got nowhere near the ball, allowing Ben White to head home. The second came when he looked to have smothered a cross from Ben White but dropped it, leading to a simple tap-in for Viktor Gyokeres to double Arsenal’s lead at the time.

Despite the goalkeeper making these errors, new Chelsea boss Rosenior believes that the first mistake was down to him and not the Spanish keeper.

“I think the first goal was disappointing,” the Englishman explained. “That was a team goal, it’s not just on Rob. 

“I’m asking Rob to do things that he hasn’t done before. I said to him before the game, and I made this really clear, when my players make mistakes, I’m accountable. That’s on me. 

“He made a save in the second half that was absolutely world-class, that could have put us out of the tie. He will improve in terms of his understanding. He’s had a very good season.

“There were very, very good moments with him. I’ll stay positive with him, as I will with all the group. My job is to help them, not to blame them.”