Why do Chelsea huddle around the ball? Liam Rosenior's strange pre-game tactic explained

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior said his team would need the perfect performance to overturn a 5-2 first-leg deficit and knock holders Paris Saint-Germain out of the Champions League.

The Blues will need all the little one per cents to fall in their favour and every pre-match ritual or quirk can be a part of that.

However, one part of Chelsea's routine before kickoff has garnered sustained and probably unwanted attention this week.

Here, we look at their pre-match huddle and why everyone is talking about it.

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Why do Chelsea huddle around the ball?

The location of Chelsea's huddle is what sets it apart from the usual huddles you see prior to matches. Instead of huddling in their own half, they do so over the ball in the centre circle. According to Rosenior, this is to "show respect to the ball".

"The lads always wanted to show unity and togetherness: the lads will continue to do that," Rosenior said prior to the return leg against PSG on March 17.

Rosenior did not confirmed whether or not Chelsea would huddle against PSG, with the matter a subject of discussion over recent days.

Why has the Chelsea huddle caused controversy?

BBC Sport reported that prior to Chelsea's 1–0 Premier League defeat to Newcastle on March 14, the match officials asked Chelsea not to huddle over the ball.

The explanation was that it risks confrontation when the opponent is due to start the match.

Chelsea elected to huddle over the ball in any case.

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What happened with Chelsea and referee Paul Tierney?

Chelsea's centre-spot huddle led to an unusual confrontation that left match referee Paul Tierney in the centre of the home team as they had their pre-match talk.

Former Premier League referee Darren Cann told BBC Sport it was the strangest thing he had ever seen in 50 years of watching football.

Rosenior believed the row had been "blow out of all proportion" and was a "distraction for the media".

"The point of what I was saying after the game, it wasn't about the huddle," he added. "It was about my perspective on certain decisions made in the game. It would be great to meet them and have an in-depth conversation with them."