Liam Rosenior said Chelsea's decision to suspend Enzo Fernández for two games "possibly" damaged the team's prospects against Manchester City after a 3-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge left his team four points adrift of Champions League qualification.
Enzo, Chelsea's vice-captain, was given an internal suspension by the club after comments appearing to hint at a desire to join Real Madrid and he completed his ban against City after also missing last week's FA Cup quarterfinal win against Port Vale.
Without the Argentina midfielder, Chelsea struggled to compete with Pep Guardiola's title-chasing side and coach Rosenior admitted that the suspension may have hurt the team on the pitch.
"Possibly," Rosenior said. "Possibly, in hindsight, you see 20-20 in hindsight. Enzo's a top player and he's a top character and I'm looking forward to having him back next week.
"Sometimes you make decisions not based on the short-term, you make decisions based on what you want to see long-term.
"And it was a long-term decision that myself, the directors and the club were aligned with the leadership group of players that we made to make sure that our values and our culture in the long-term is in the right place.
"But Enzo has had the conversations he's needed to have. He's been fantastic in the last few days in supporting myself and the team and I can't wait to have him back in the squad."
Chelsea's next game is against third-placed Manchester United at Stamford Bridge next Saturday and it has become a fixture that the Blues must win to maintain realistic hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League.
Chelsea are now under pressure to finish in one of the Champions League spots, now four points behind Liverpool in fifth. Adrian Dennis / AFP via Getty Images "Right now we are still in the race for the Champions League," Rosenior said. "And we still have the possibility to win the FA Cup.
"But I need to win in this moment. This is a huge football club. When I first came, I never asked for a lot of time because I understand this club. I understand the traditions and the history of this club.
"I would like to have that time and I'm confident that in that time, you can create something very, very special within the time that it takes, which even someone as experienced as Pep or Jürgen Klopp when he won the titles he did at Liverpool, they had a year to sort things out.
"I've come in January. It's not an excuse. It's a reality. I need to win in the now and that's what I'll be focused on.