Liam Delap on Chelsea's champions league campaign, Pafos and fitness

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Liam Delap on Chelsea's champions league campaign, Pafos and fitness  20/01/2026  uefa26

Transcript

00:00Welcome to our Matchday Minus 1 press conference with Liam Dillap ahead of our fixture with Pathos tomorrow.

00:04We'll take the same through as the manager and we'll have one question each.

00:08And if you could just wait for the microphone to be passed to you, who would like to start us off?

00:12Yeah, Dom?

00:16Hi Liam. Just wonder whether you can remember at all any feedback that Liam Rossini ever gave you

00:21when he was in charge of you at Hull?

00:24And also when you look at your Chelsea time so far,

00:26do you feel that in a sense it's been sort of a period of ups and downs?

00:30I know you've had some injuries to contend with.

00:31Do you feel it's been a bit of a stop start?

00:33Two questions for me. Thanks.

00:35Yeah, I think obviously I spent a year at Hull with Liam

00:40and his patterns and how he wants to play is the same.

00:46So it's helpful because I already know how he wants to play.

00:49And I think we've had such a short period of time to work on it in training since he's been in.

00:56And, you know, hopefully he can translate that onto the pitch soon.

01:00And the second question, of course, you know, it's a difficult start.

01:04Obviously with injuries and stuff, you know, you just want to get in that rhythm of playing.

01:08But hopefully now I'm back for it that I can stay fit.

01:12Yeah, Gary, second row.

01:17Hi, Liam. Thanks for your time.

01:19So it's been described as illness what a few of the players have got around the training ground.

01:23How are you feeling now and how was it when you were under the weather?

01:27Yeah, I'm sweet now.

01:29It was bad.

01:30I'm not usually too bad with illness, but this one it was really bad.

01:37And, yeah, I think a few of the boys have had it.

01:39But, you know, hopefully we can get through this little period and be all right.

01:45It's a lot of it about, was it like cold and flu and sickness and that kind of thing?

01:48Yeah, I don't really know what it is, to be honest, but you'll have to ask the doctor.

01:52You don't want to get ill like that when a new boss has just arrived either, do you?

01:56How much of a setback did that feel to you?

01:58Yeah, obviously it's frustrating, but, you know, you can only listen to the doctors.

02:03And, you know, sometimes you don't want to listen to them, but you have to.

02:07It's your health and it's important.

02:09And, you know, it's only a few days, so, yeah, back on track now.

02:13You've spoken about how you obviously know Liam, but watching him around the place now in his new job,

02:19how has he taken to it, how the other players take him to him?

02:22Yeah, obviously it's really good for him.

02:25And, obviously, we've had so many games in a short period of time,

02:28so it's been difficult to, you know, obviously get everything across like how he wanted to.

02:34But, you know, we've had a lot of meetings and, you know, in training we've focused

02:37and, you know, he's very detailed.

02:40So, hopefully in the next few weeks we can get more of his ideas and, you know, perform better.

02:45How's feeling better? Thanks.

02:47Hey, Liam, thanks for your time.

02:52Just wondering, kind of, like Dom mentioned, your Chelsea career has been a bit stop-start so far.

02:56What do you feel are the main things that you want to work on here at the moment as you kind of develop?

03:01Yeah, I think, obviously, I'm still young and, you know, I want to keep improving.

03:06I think at the moment it's been difficult to get that rhythm of playing.

03:10You know, it's so important, that match fitness and, you know, feeling sharp.

03:15And, you know, I'm ultimately here to win and score goals for Chelsea.

03:19So, that's the aim.

03:21Perfect.

03:22There's all front there, please.

03:27Hi, Liam.

03:28Just wondering what sort of a Liam Rossini team looks like in your view from, you know, the Hull days

03:33and, like, how you expect it to evolve a bit and how do you expect it to be for the striker as well?

03:38What are your jobs?

03:39Is it any different to what you may be doing before under Enzo?

03:42Yeah, I think, obviously, each manager has their differences.

03:46I think, you know, it's going to be a very exciting way of playing.

03:50I think, you know, we're going to be very, we want to be very strong on the ball

03:57and, you know, dominate games of football.

04:00So, you know, we're all looking forward to it and hopefully, you know,

04:02we can show the fans that it's going to be an exciting way of playing

04:05and, you know, we're going to score a lot of goals.

04:09Score.

04:09Hi, Liam.

04:15Just to go back to that season at Hull, I know you had a few loan spells

04:18but when you think back to it, I think you had a knee injury during that season as well, maybe?

04:23But for your career, how important was that period?

04:26What did you learn when you were at Hull working with Liam during that period?

04:29Yeah, of course.

04:30I think I had two loan spells before that and, you know,

04:34they probably didn't go as well as I wanted them to but, you know,

04:37that year at Hull, I really developed into a man, I think,

04:41and obviously I was still a kid at the time and trying to find that, you know,

04:45development from playing academy football to men's football

04:49and I think, you know, the manager and all the staff there, you know,

04:53really helped me and grew me into the player that I am today.

04:55Would you say you sort of grew into, you felt like you were a bit more of a man

05:00to stepping out of the academy.

05:01Is that outside of football as well?

05:03Because obviously when you're in the academy, you're at home,

05:05you get used to your creature comforts and things like that.

05:08But was that a case of just stepping outside the bubble

05:10and really becoming more independent, I guess?

05:12No, I think, obviously, I moved to Manchester when I was young

05:17and away from my family.

05:19So I think, you know, that side of things probably not a lot changed.

05:23Obviously, it's a different city, a different town,

05:25but, you know, of course, you grow up outside of football as well,

05:29but that's something you have to do, you know, in life.

05:31And I think, of course, you mature as you get older.

05:35Jacob?

05:36Hi, Liam.

05:38Is trying to make the World Cup squad from here an extra motivation for you

05:43and do you still feel it's realistic despite what's been quite a frustrating season so far?

05:48Yeah, of course.

05:49I think that's, you know, every little kid's dream is to go and represent your country,

05:55a World Cup, and, you know, I just need to keep my head down

05:58and, you know, keep working hard and, you know, I know the goals will come

06:03and, you know, if the goals are coming, then you never know.

06:06So we'll see.

06:07Any communication from anyone in England set up about your place potentially there,

06:13about what you might need to do to get into the squad?

06:16No, I think, you know, I know myself.

06:19I just need to, you know, consistently perform at Chelsea

06:22and, you know, consistently score and do well and, you know,

06:25then see what they have to say.

06:27Perfect.

06:27Have we got any other questions?

06:28Yeah, turn on in front.

06:31Liam, you'll be aware, some of the players who've been centre-forward at Chelsea before,

06:36your Costas, your Joghbos and so on,

06:38and then there have been some other big-name players who, you know,

06:41Shevchenko or Morata have come in and not do it.

06:43Are you aware of that sort of so-called curse of the Chelsea number nine

06:47and how confident are you that you can be that caliber of player

06:51who helped them win Champions Leagues and so on before?

06:54Yeah, of course, you know, that's why I came to this club

06:56and, you know, it's such a historic and successful club

07:00and, you know, we have such a good team

07:01and, you know, we're just trying to find that right balance of, you know,

07:05the togetherness and the way we play to try and, you know,

07:09start winning and start getting the trophies back

07:12because, you know, we're all hungry for success

07:14and we're all really motivated to win.

07:17So, yeah, that's the goal.

07:19It's quite a big ask because, you know,

07:20you've only had one season playing in the top flight

07:25and then coming to a club like Chelsea

07:27where they're, you know, expected to challenge for these big things.

07:30It's quite a lot on the shoulders of a still pretty young man.

07:35Yeah, of course, but, you know, that's why we play football.

07:38You know, it's the thing I enjoy about football, the pressure, you know.

07:42It's...you need that. It's healthy

07:44and we've still got such a young squad and we're building,

07:47so hopefully, you know, in years to come,

07:49we're going to be a really strong side.

07:52Perfect. Thank you, guys.

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