Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior appeared at a press conference to discuss Sunday's match against Crystal Palace, in the 23rd round of the Premier League, at Selhurst Park.

The coach said: "I am very happy with the leadership within my group. I have played before with players who have loud voices, who shout and direct others, but in reality, they lead nothing because they hide from the ball and do not take responsibility... I will not mention names, there are different ways of leading, and every player leads in their own way. I think our generation is different from the younger generation in terms of communication style."

He added: "I love this group, whether it's Reece James, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Trevoh Chalobah, or Tosin Adarabioyo... they are all leaders in their own way, and they have to be themselves, I will not ask them to be something they are not, and at the same time, I am very happy with the level of leadership within the team."

Regarding the future of Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi, he said: "We know that the last week of January is always busy, but there is nothing new to report at the moment. For me, I want every player I work with to have the best possible career, whether here or elsewhere. My goal is to find the best solution for each player, and these two players are no exception."

On Lavia's recovery: "I want him to return as soon as possible, but the most important thing is that he returns without new injuries. That's the difference, I don't want to pressure him, I want him to return in a condition that allows him to participate in matches and gain real continuity."

Regarding reports linking Cole Palmer with a departure: "I have spoken with Cole several times, and he seems very happy here, in fact, he is extremely happy to be with us, he is an essential part of our long-term plans. A great player, and every player goes through difficult periods due to injuries during their career, my job and the club's job is to put him in an environment that enables him to consistently deliver his best level. The frustration he showed against Brentford was due to his pain and inability to perform at his best level, we need to take care of him, which is why I didn't involve him in the last match."

On Palmer's readiness: "I have to take care of the players, not just Cole, but a number of players. We cannot force them to play, I want us to be part of big matches and major competitions at the end of the season."

He concluded about the team's condition: "Estevao was very ill, and so was Jimmy Jitens, and even Enzo Fernandez. I had to adjust the plans, but fortunately, the players have passed this phase, Cole Palmer is in good condition, and he participated in training today, which is very positive, Jorgensen underwent a medical examination and the results were better than we expected, he will not be ready against Crystal Palace, but he may be available against Napoli, Dario Esugo suffered an unfortunate injury after slipping in training, and will be out for more than a month, Romeo Lavia is on his way back, he is an excellent and high-level player, we have Enzo Fernandez, Caicedo, Andre Santos, and Reece James... I don't think the situation is bad."