SSC Napoli v Chelsea FC - UEFA Champions League
Can Liam Rosenior succeed where other Chelsea bosses have failed? (Picture: Getty Images)
Liam Rosenior cannot win the Premier League title with Chelsea and may well be sacked this year, believes former Blues midfielder Emmanuel Petit.
Rosenior arrived at Stamford Bridge in January, replacing Enzo Maresca after the Italian fell out with the hierarchy in west London.
It is a huge step up from Strasbourg, but the Englishman has made a positive start, winning seven of his first 10 games in charge.
Chelsea sit fifth in the Premier League table and will hope to improve on that this weekend, when they host Burnley.
Despite seeming to settle in pretty well to his new role, Petit does not have high hopes for Rosenior given how regularly Chelsea change their manager.
The Frenchman feels any boss at Stamford Bridge is only a handful of bad results away from the sack, while they also turnover players at an incredible rate, which is not a recipe for success.
‘Can Liam Rosenior ever win a Premier League title with Chelsea? They’ve been changing players every single year,’ Petit told Ignition Casino.
Get your football fix
Don't want to miss the week's biggest football stories? Metro's exclusive football newsletter, In The Mixer, is your essential guide.
From the latest transfer rumours and managerial moves to analysis of the biggest games and a lot more, our experts have you covered.
Sign up here, it's an open goal.
Chelsea's Cole Palmer greets manager Liam Rosenior following the Premier League match at Stamford Bridge, London. Picture date: Saturday January 17, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.
Rosenior is benefiting from a fit-again Cole Palmer (Picture: PA Wire)
‘So consistency and stability are very important if you want to win something. You have to stick with your players, have a vision, and stick with it. It doesn’t matter if you go through dark tunnels, you have to stick with it. You have to believe in it.
‘You have to send a message to the dressing room, whatever happens on the pitch, even if we got bad results, we stick with our ideas. Liverpool did that, and they won trophies. City did that, and they won trophies. Arsenal have been doing that for years now and are not far from winning it. We will see at the end of the season.
‘So look at Manchester United, look at Spurs, look at Chelsea, all those clubs. They’ve been changing players and managers so many times.
‘And then all of a sudden you want them to win the title? And you’re asking me if Liam Rosenior is capable of winning the title with Chelsea? I’m not sure if he’s going to be the manager in 10 months. If he has three or four bad results in a row, I will not be surprised if the board sacks him.’
Olympique Lyonnais v FC Barcelona - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg
Emmanuel Petit has little confidence in Rosenior succeeding (Picture: Getty Images)
Jamie Carragher has also raised doubts about the Chelsea manager, questioning whether he is the right man for such a big job.
‘There is something about (Rosenior) when you see him in the press conferences,’ the Liverpool legend said on The Overlap Fan Debate brought to you by Sky Bet.
‘I don’t know if it’s a bit of an act, to sort of play to be the big manager, but if you remember when Graham Potter was there… it never felt like the right fit. It never felt like he had the personality or the strength to manage a club like that.
‘I was wondering if it would be almost the same. You know when you just look at someone and it doesn’t look right.’
Watford v Derby County - Sky Bet Championship
Rosenior was Wayne Rooney’s assistant at Derby County five years ago (Picture: Getty Images)
Wayne Rooney has been a fierce defender of Rosenior and is in a good place to judge him as they worked together when the Manchester United legend was manager of Derby.
‘That’s the thing with Liam, you know him, but you don’t know him,’ said Rooney. ‘You know his name, you know he’s played for Hull and Brighton and teams like that, so he’s had a career in England.
‘So now (fans) are looking at him saying, “Is he putting this on, is he trying to be the big man?”. Actually he is being himself.’
Rooney added: ‘He is an unbelievable coach – 100 per cent – and I can say that through work, he helped me massively, how he organised the team, how he is on the training pitch, how he coaches.
‘I don’t have any doubt about his coaching but the challenge now for Liam is managing these top players. He’s a confident person, a confident lad so it’s going to be interesting from now until the end of the season as these fixtures get tougher. If he has time there, he will do well but the question is, does he get time?’
MORE: Gianluca Prestianni and Benfica respond to Vinicius Jr racism claim
MORE: Wolves vs Arsenal: Predicted lineup today and confirmed team news
MORE: Arsenal star backed for Ballon d’Or – if Gunners win Premier League
Football Newsletter – In The Mixer
Punchy analysis, transfer talk and more from Metro's football experts, sent straight to your inbox every week.