Liam Rosenior and Trevoh Chalobah shared differing Chelsea views following their woeful 3-0 defeat to Brighton in the Premier League
Liam Rosenior did not hold back in his assessment of Chelsea's display against Brighton in the Premier League
Liam Rosenior did not hold back in his assessment of Chelsea's display against Brighton in the Premier League(Image: (Photo by Javier Garcia/Shutterstock))
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Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior and centre-back Trevoh Chalobah disagreed on a number of topics following their crushing 3-0 defeat to Brighton. Rosenior slammed his players after their 'unacceptable' performance but Chalobah backed his team-mates and insisted the defeat was nothing to do with a lack of effort.
The Blues' have now suffered five consecutive Premier League defeats, leaving them facing a monumental challenge to secure Champions League football next season. Their dreadful run of form leaves them eight points adrift of fifth-placed Liverpool with Brighton also going above them after Tuesday's match. The Reds could extend that gap to 11 points, with four games remaining, when they face Crystal Palace in their game in hand this Saturday.
Rosenior was incensed following the defeat on the south coast, accusing his players of failing to give their all and branding their display "indefensible". Calls for Rosenior to be sacked have subsequently increased, with the 41-year-old not holding back in what could have been his final interview.
Rosenior furiously told Sky Sports: "By far, by far [that was the worst performance of the lot]. That was unacceptable in every aspect of the game. Unacceptable in attitude. I keep coming out and defending the players... that was indefensible, that performance tonight.
"The manner of the goals we conceded, the amount of duels that we lost, the lack of intensity in the team. Something has to change drastically right here, right now.
"I can't keep coming out here defending some of the things that we're seeing. The general attitude, spirit, was lacking. The determination [was there] from three or four of the starting eleven. That's nowhere near enough for this club. I can't come out and lie. I'll tell the truth. That was an unacceptable performance in every area.
"That doesn't represent anything that I want to see, and I won't ever see it again. The performance in terms of professionalism wasn't there. Some of the things I witnessed today, I never, ever want to ever see again.
"If you're playing for this club, at this elite football club, or any football club, to be even accused of throwing the towel in is unacceptable. Yeah, that's all I'm going to say. I'm hurting, I feel numb. That doesn't represent me. That doesn't represent the football club in anyway. That has to change.
"Chelsea represents fight and spirit and determination. That was lacking in every department this evening. But that team we put out today was far better than its engagement in the game. Every game between now and the end of the season is a huge game, and it needs to look like that in the way we play."
No side has covered less ground per Premier League match this campaign than Chelsea (106.1km). That stands in stark contrast to the table-toppers in that category, Manchester City, who are clocking up 115.5km per fixture this term.
In stark contrast to Rosenior's assessment, Chalobah believed Chelsea delivered everything they had at the Amex Stadium.
Trevoh Chalobah disagreed with Liam Rosenior's scathing comments on his Chelsea team-mates
Trevoh Chalobah disagreed with Liam Rosenior's scathing comments on his Chelsea team-mates
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The defender told Sky Sports: "We gave our all. Just not the better side. I don't know. We obviously had a game plan. We tried to execute it and... yeah. We tried our best. We worked on it throughout the week and obviously we got beat today. We've just got to go again and we can't dwell on these moments.
"We've got to look forward to the next game. As players we have to be accountable for the performance. We know how much the fans have been behind us and we know they're disappointed, we haven't been winning at the moment. We have to stick together and pull through. I think personally the boys were running their socks off.
"You can see in the changing room everyone's tired. It's nothing to do with effort. We gave our all. We just got beat today. We ran today. You can say the stats this, the stats, I can see the boys are tired in that room. We just have to pick ourselves up and we've got a semi-final to come. It's a massive game at Wembley.
"Us being in another semi-final, we have to use that as a positive and approach the game with a strong mentality and try and pick ourselves up from this defeat. We have to stay positive. Negativity is not going to help us. No matter what happens in life, we have to keep going forward and picking ourselves up."
Chelsea will be desperate to end their losing run when they take on Leeds United in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley on Sunday. After that, the Blues have four Premier League fixtures remaining, with clashes against Nottingham Forest (H), Liverpool (A), Tottenham (H) and Sunderland (A).
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