Chelsea have sacked Liam Rosenior after a run of awful results that fell well below the club’s expectations. The former Strasbourg boss was in charge for just 106 days and 13 games, but the decision was taken to dispense with his services ahead of the Blues’ FA Cup semi-final clash with Leeds United on Sunday. Former academy coach and Rosenior’s assistant, Calum McFarlane, will take over as caretaker for the remainder of the season.
Where Did It Go Wrong for Rosenior?
When Rosenior led Chelsea out for the first time in the Premier League against Brentford, the Blues had won just one of their previous nine league matches. The former Strasbourg boss hit the ground running, however, and masterminded four straight league wins. Throw in a 5-1 FA Cup win over Charlton, and two Champions League victories, and life at the Bridge was looking rather rosy for Rosenior.
Fast-forward to April, and things started to look decidedly less favourable. The Blues were dumped out of the Champions League in an 8-2 aggregate humiliation at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain. They have also lost five Premier League matches on the bounce, with an aggregate score of 11-0. Their most recent game was a midweek away match at Brighton, which ended in an appallingly bad performance and a 3-0 scoreline that, if anything, was generous to Chelsea.
Chelsea’s Last 5 Premier League Matches
| Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|
| Brighton | 3-0 | Chelsea |
| Chelsea | 0-1 | Manchester Utd |
| Chelsea | 0-3 | Manchester City |
| Everton | 3-0 | Chelsea |
| Chelsea | 0-1 | Newcastle Utd |
Players Down Tools and Force Manager’s Removal
The Chelsea boss described his side’s performance at Brighton as “indefensible” and “unacceptable”, and went further, suggesting that “the players need to have a look in the mirror for what they put in. You can talk about tactics… tactics come after the basics. Having more courage to play, winning duels, winning headers, tackles, conceding terrible goals.”
That sentiment was never likely to endear the young manager to the Chelsea players, and on the evidence of recent performances, he had essentially lost the dressing room already. When that happens, as we’ve seen several times this season, for instance at Manchester United under Ruben Amorim, it is rarely too long before the manager is shown the exit door. And that’s exactly what’s happened in this case.
Questions have to be asked about the decision of the club’s owners to hand Rosenior a six-year contract when he joined the Blues. That’s sure to result in a hefty payout that will certainly soften the blow for the manager of getting sacked. But from a business perspective, it was far from sensible.
Questions should also be directed towards the players: highly paid professionals who appeared to be playing below their capabilities. As much as some of them didn’t buy into Rosenior’s ideas, the behaviour of some players is unlikely to go down well with Chelsea fans. Still, that’s modern football, seemingly.
Can Chelsea Qualify for the Champions League and Win the FA Cup?
In theory, Chelsea can still have a successful season if they manage to qualify for the Champions League and lift the FA Cup. As things stand, we can’t see either happening. They may get something of a positive “bump” after Rosenoir’s sacking, which is often the case: players who were awful in the manager’s last game suddenly show they can play a bit after all (much to the frustration of the man who’s just been sacked, no doubt!).
Chelsea edged Leeds 1-0 on Sunday after an Enzo Fernandez headed goal. They they now face Manchester City in the final… and Pep Guardiola’s men won 3-0 at Stamford Bridge earlier in April and look unstoppable at present.
When it comes to finishing in the Champions League places, the Blues have slipped well off the pace. At the time of writing, Chelsea are down in eighth place in the table, ten points behind Aston Villa, who currently occupy fifth spot (the Premier League has five CL qualifying places once again this season). Villa are level on points with a rejuvenated Liverpool who are in fourth place on goal difference. Worryingly for Blues fans, their side have just four games left to attempt to close the gap. The crucial game will be Liverpool away on 9th May. A positive result there would give the Pensioners a fighting chance, given their other three matches look a little easier on paper (Nottingham Forest at home, Tottenham at home, and Sunderland away).
A lot will depend on how the players react to the sacking of their former manager. Whether they can suddenly find some form to propel them to the FA Cup final and up the Premier League table remains to be seen. Blues fans might have to settle for Europa League qualification, and even that is no foregone conclusion with just four points separating seventh and 12th.