Liam Rosenior decided to publicly call out his Chelsea players in the post-match press conference after losing 3-0 to Brighton - and now he is facing the backlash
Liam Rosenior, Manager of Chelsea,
Liam Rosenior's comments after the Brighton loss have gone down badly(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
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Liam Rosenior is facing a player backlash as he battles to keep his job at Chelsea.
Under-pressure Rosenior slammed the players following Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat at Brighton, which made it five straight losses without scoring a goal. That has gone down badly in the dressing room and Rosenior has put himself on collision course with senior players.
Those remarks are also playing into Chelsea’s decision on the manager’s future with the hierarchy clearly concerned about the shocking dip in results. That has led to growing doubts about Rosenior’s future even though the manager has insisted he wants to fight on and expects to be in charge for Sunday’s FA Cup semi final against Leeds.
There are believed to be discussions now ongoing about the manager’s future which comes just three months into Rosenior’s reign as he signed a six-year deal in January.
The doubts are now growing about whether Rosenior will still be in charge and if the goalposts are shifting with initially the club planning to review at the end of the season.
Bookies have already made former Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas favourite to take charge but he was not a candidate in January. But missing out on the Champions League would be a huge blow and also the FA Cup offers a trophy and the season is still alive.
Rosenior’s decision to publicly challenge the players is a gamble especially as captain Enzo Fernandez was dropped after flirting with Real Madrid. That caused shockwaves in the dressing room and the players looked shell shocked after the Brighton defeat.
Liam Rosenior is under pressure at Chelsea
Liam Rosenior is under huge pressure at Chelsea(Image: Getty Images)
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The manager’s comments have now brought the situation into the open and certainly raised eyebrows as it was viewed as “throwing players under the bus.”
Rosenior was asked whether it was a gamble and he said: “I've always said I will be honest, and I've been honest with the players. I'm honest with you, as honest as I can. I'm not throwing anyone under the bus. That was an unacceptable performance.
“And I'm at the head of that. So for me to come out here, we're playing for Chelsea. I'm managing Chelsea. The criticism and pressure comes with the football club. So if you can't handle that, then you shouldn't be here. It's as simple as that.
“And that's something that needs to be addressed this week. But it also needs to be addressed in the long term. It needs to be addressed.”
Rosenior was then asked whether he can turn things around before Sunday and added: “I need to make that time. I need to work with the staff 24 hours a day. We need to make the correct decisions for the team for a massive game on Sunday. And we'll do the very, very best we can to turn it around.”
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