Liam Rosenior is facing criticism early in his tenure as Chelsea manager – but is it fair, and are his players on board before the climax to the season?
Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Everton meant Chelsea suffered a fourth loss in a row for the first time since 2023. They sit sixth in the Premier League table, with a fifth-place finish likely to guarantee Champions League football.
Results are a concern given Chelsea’s ambition to qualify for next season’s elite European competition, although they remain only one point behind fifth‑placed Liverpool following the Reds’ loss at Brighton.
The gap did widen though to Manchester United and Aston Villa, who drew and won respectively, leaving the Blues six points off fourth spot and with less margin for error.
There is no suggestion inside Chelsea that Rosenior, who succeeded Enzo Maresca in January when he joined from partner club Strasbourg, is in danger of losing his job, either now or at the end of the season.
There is an understanding that he took over mid‑season from Maresca, who walked away following a falling-out with the hierarchy, when the club had hoped the Italian would remain until at least the summer.
Such is the strength of support for Rosenior – who is under contract until 2032 – that he has been heavily involved in regular transfer planning meetings with sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.
After the current international break, Chelsea host Port Vale in the FA Cup quarter‑finals on Saturday, 4 April, before Premier League matches at Stamford Bridge against Manchester City and Manchester United.