Paul Merson on Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior
Paul Merson on Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior - Source: Getty
Paul Merson has slammed Liam Rosenior amidst Chelsea's poor form. He claimed that the Englishman might not have gotten even an interview at the likes of Liverpool or Newcastle United.
The Blues lost 3-0 against Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday, March 21. This marked their fourth consecutive loss across competitions. They lost 8-2 on aggregate over two legs against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. They also lost 1-0 against Newcastle at home in the Premier League.
In his column for Sky Sports, Paul Merson claimed clubs like Newcastle or Liverpool wouldn't have hired Rosenior when he was at Strasbourg. He wrote:
"It's been a bad month for Liam Rosenior at Chelsea. That's four games on the trot where they've been smacked. They can't win one game. There are ways of losing football matches and that was a horrible, horrible watch at Everton. It didn't look to me that the players were really on the same page as the manager."
"If Arne Slot got the sack at Liverpool this week, or if Eddie Howe left Newcastle, would Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior have got one of those two jobs? I'll go one further: would he even get an interview? It's madness. This Chelsea team don't sit pretty at all with the fans, who have put Rosenior under pressure from day one. But the board - whatever plan they've got - you'd think Rosenior would need to get into the top five for them to be happy," he added.
The west London side appointed Rosenior in January after sacking Enzo Maresca.
Liam Rosenior believes international break has come at a good time for Chelsea
The Blues won the FIFA Club World Cup last summer, which cut their pre-season short. After the defeat against Everton, Liam Rosenior claimed that their workload had been catching up in recent weeks. He said that it is no excuse for Chelsea's performances, but added that the international break has come at the right time.
Rosenior said (h/t ESPN):
"I don't want to be seen to make excuses because that was not good enough. The last week hasn't been good enough. I think if you're a logical-thinking person and you look at the workload and the amount of games that the players have played it's a pretty simple conclusion to come to."
"Why I think the international break has come at a good time for us is because hopefully those players get a change. Most of them have to fly across the world and play for their countries but maybe a reset, maybe some time away to regather and have a different environment may refresh the group," he added.
Chelsea were eliminated from the Carabao Cup by Arsenal in the semi-finals. However, they have reached the FA Cup quarter-finals, where they will face Port Vale at home on April 4. The Blues are sixth in the Premier League, one point behind Liverpool.