Exclusive: Gus Poyet's Advice for Liam Rosenior – "Win a Trophy, That's the Job at Chelsea"
- Last Updated On
- Ben Green
On Thursday, just hours after Chelsea's 3-2 Carabao Cup semi-final first leg defeat to Arsenal we sat down with former Blues legend Gus Poyet.
The ex-Uruguay international touched on a range of topics, including new Blues boss Liam Rosenior, the 3-2 loss to Arsenal and what Chelsea can hope for in the final months of the campaign.
Poyet was well loved at Stamford Bridge, after making his name at Real Zaragoza. His list of trophies from a successful playing career, included the Copa del Rey, an FA Cup and UEFA Super Cup at Chelsea as well as victory in the Copa America in 1995 with Uruguay.
In 2001, after four seasons at Chelsea, Poyet moved from west London to north London, where he then played and coached at Tottenham Hotspur. SeatPick also quizzed Gus on Thomas Frank's travails at Spurs as well as new signing Conor Gallagher.
Poyet's last managerial spell in England was at Sunderland from 2013-2015. We also managed to get some feedback from Poyet on their impressive campaign so far in 2025/2026.
What Should Liam’s Rosenior's Number One Priority be at Chelsea?
Gus Poyet: Right now, Liam needs to win a big game. This is the number one priority. Why? To convince the players. It’s so important for him to get the win, I am not counting Charlton as a big game, so the next one is Brentford this weekend and then the Champions League. If it takes too long, then we have seen before, it can be an issue. So, for Liam it’s a case of get your point across as quickly and easily and possible and secure a win.
With so many games coming up for Chelsea until they face Arsenal again, Liam must get wins on the board. So many games coming up, not a lot of training time. It’s so important to play your best team and win games. It eases any pressure and as a number one priority to win a big game is so important and winning will improve everything as a new Head Coach.
Looking at last night it was a risky game for Chelsea. If Merino scores and the match finishes 1-4, the situation changes completely and players are not sure of the methods or convinced. Now they scored and at 2-3 at half time in the tie, you can go to Arsenal and win 2-0 to make a final. But leading into the weekend v Brentford there is also confidence.
I would say as well for Liam, you must play your strongest team. So, if James if fit, he plays, if Palmer is fit he plays. This can then lead to creating a winning culture. You can win a trophy this year and he has the players to do so.
When it comes to the second leg v Arsenal, I expect Liam to play a full strength team as you are only one goal behind and it is most definitely possible for them to overcome this with everyone fit and playing.
What Can Chelsea Achieve This year?
Gus Poyet: Win a trophy. Simple. This is what the role of Head Coach is at Chelsea each season, to win a trophy. Maresca delivered this, twice and full credit to him. I liked him a lot, the way he was progressing the team. And in terms of a trophy, it doesn’t matter which one, a trophy is good enough as we’re here at Chelsea to win trophies
When I was at Chelsea it was the same. When we didn’t win a trophy, we were all unhappy. It’s no different now. So like I said, the semi-final second leg is there for Chelsea to make a final, with only a one goal deficit against Arsenal. Win that game at Emirates and you can be in a final, with one game from a trophy. But, you also need all your top players fit and playing. This is a priority.
With the team who played last night, I don’t think this makes top four. So for Chelsea to make top four, which is most definitely achievable, you need Palmer, James, Delap, Caicedo all playing.
Chelsea also have the FA Cup as well, and I wouldn’t look to rotate here either. You have a chance to win a trophy, so play your best team. Then you get consistency playing a winning team and it can work for him.
Ticket Prices on SeatPick for Chelsea's Next Six Fixtures
| Date | Match | Starting From |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 17 | Chelsea vs Brentford | £59 |
| Jan 21 | Chelsea vs Pafos FC | £78 |
| Jan 25 | Crystal Palace vs Chelsea | £65 |
| Jan 28 | SSC Napoli vs Chelsea | £78 |
| Jan 31 | Chelsea vs West Ham United | £100 |
| Feb 3 | Arsenal vs Chelsea Carabao Cup Semi Final |
£124 |
- All prices correct as of Thursday January 15, 2026.
How Much Pressure is Thomas Frank Under and Why Hasn’t it Worked at Spurs?
Gus Poyet: There are two situations here at Tottenham. One the players need to take responsibility on the pitch. I feel the players need to step up here. You look at Spurs' Europa League success last season. They were very good at home and away, but for some reason, they can’t get consistency and have to take it upon themselves on the pitch. Maybe they should ask the Premier League for them to play on Thursday nights as this worked last season.
For the team now, it seems they need to be told what to do on the pitch, so if you are playing out from the back and It’s not working then go long. Try something different, you must take responsibility. Looking at this situation now, it is taking too long to get a string of good results and if you don’t win, then players will doubt the manager. It creates instability, which you can see is happening now at Spurs. For Thomas Frank, as a coach, he needs to find a way to win a game.
This game on Saturday is a must win. Anything else is a disaster. Pick your best team and win the game. Be more adventurous in your selection and go and look to attack West Ham. This isn’t Brentford now, its Spurs and with it comes more pressure and it’s mounting. So, be brave and go and win the game against West Ham and give fans something to cheer.
So, looking at how much pressure Thomas Frank is under, he is under big pressure, as I’ve mentioned here the reasons why this has happened; He has to get his message across clearly so players can understand and then find a way to win. As to why it hasn’t worked. Well for me players must take responsibility on the pitch.
Looking at Tottenham's New Signing Conor Gallagher, How Important is This for the Club?
Gus Poyet: This is an unbelievable signing by Spurs. A top player, who gives everything on the pitch. He sets the tone by his ability to work so hard in midfield, show aggression, passion, fight and also the ability to get forward to score goals. He can give the squad and team a big boost and set the tone for others to follow as Spurs look to climb the table.
This is the type of signing that Spurs have been missing, so everything is there for him to succeed, and the fans will welcome his enthusiasm on the pitch and not even think about his time at Chelsea as he focuses on improving Spurs on the pitch. For Thomas Frank as well, he will be very happy that Conor has joined to give Spurs more energy in midfield and more quality to get forward to create and score goals, something Spurs have been lacking. The crowd at Spurs are waiting for a player like Conor who rolls up his sleeve to make sure he gives everything on the pitch.
Switching to Sunderland, Talk to us About Your Former Club and Their Premier League Success so Far This Season.
Gus Poyet: For me, Granit Xhaka has been the signing of the season so far. The board have done a brilliant job by spending well and the team performing so well. You can spend over £100 Million and go back down like Fulham did a few years ago and also Burnley I believe spent a lot the last time they came up.
But if you haven’t got the right fit of players, then it can be a struggle and Régis Le Bris has done an unbelievable job to get all the players settled together and play for each other and understand the Premier League so quickly and to get results. However, without Granit Xhaka, I don’t think they are where they are now. He has been outstanding a true leader and one who has been able to get all the new players together and get them as a group to believe in each other and perform.
They can now push on and maintain a top half position I believe and still being in the FA Cup, they have the possibility of a big run in this competition, which I know from my time, the fans will love a trip to Wembley.
