Chelsea prepares to move ahead of the match

Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior said his players “didn’t want to antagonize ourselves and make more noise over ourselves” by huddling before the match in the center circle.

This comes after an unusual scene before Newcastle’s 1-0 Premier League defeat on Saturday when referee Paul Tierney stood over the ball before kick-off but did not move away as Chelsea players gathered around him to give captain Reece James his team talk.

Rosenior says no decision has been made yet on where they will be for Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain, but they are expected to change position from the center circle.

It is known that officials warned Chelsea not to gather around the ball before the start of the match because that would risk a group confrontation when the opponents start the match.

After the Newcastle game, Rosenior said Tierney should “focus on his job” and said he would speak to his bosses at PGMOL (Professional Match Officials Limited), insisting his players “respected the ball”.

Speaking on Monday, Rosenior said the debate over the crowd had been “blown out of proportion” and served as a “distraction for the media”.

“The players always wanted to show unity and teamwork: the players will continue to do that,” he said ahead of their Champions League round of 16 match against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.

“We don’t want to antagonize ourselves and create noise. We will make a decision on where we do it tomorrow.”

Rosenior said he has not yet spoken with the PGMOL but is scheduled to meet with them in person this week.

He added: “The point of what I was saying after the match, it was not about the rally. It was about my view on some of the decisions that were made in the match. It would be great to meet them and have an in-depth conversation with them.”

The huddle was the brainchild of now-injured captain Reece James rather than Rosenior, who explained their aim by saying: “I think that’s the best way I can get the messages out to them.”

Chelsea need to overcome a 5-2 deficit on Tuesday evening after a late collapse away to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg at the Parc des Princes.

Speaking about this issue, Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique said: “I was surprised when I saw that, but I heard Liam talking about it maturely.”

“We can see different things but if there is respect – and I think there is respect from Chelsea players and staff – then there is no problem at all.”

Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann told BBC Sport he had never seen anything strange “in 50 years of watching football” after seeing the incident on Saturday.

He also managed to shed some light on the incident, saying: “Since it was Newcastle’s kick-off, the referee [took] Controlling the ball on the halfway line was there to prevent any potential problems.

“When it comes to the kick-off, there is no particular problem. However, when their opponents have to start, there is the possibility of a confrontation.”