Liam Rosenior is facing an uncertain future at Chelsea after overseeing the club's worst run of league form in more than 100 years but the issues at Stamford Bridge run far deeper
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND - APRIL 21: Liam Rosenior, Manager of Chelsea, acknowledges the fans after the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea at Amex Stadium on April 21, 2026 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Liam Rosenior saw Chelsea slump to a chastening 3-0 loss against Brighton on Tuesday night(Image: Darren Walsh, Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
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The problems at Chelsea run far deeper than Liam Rosenior. And firing another manager would only shift the blame and avoid facing the uncomfortable truth.
Rosenior has only been in the job just over 100 days - he was appointed on January 6 - and yet is being held up as the latest fall guy at Stamford Bridge. His decision to publicly call out the Chelsea players after the defeat at Brighton was a risk - but it actually needed saying.
Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali was at the AmEx and heard the chants against the club and the hierarchy. And the billionaire was also at the club’s training ground on Wednesday as the hierarchy discussed over whether to make a change.
Should they roll the dice to save the season with four games left? They have an FA Cup semi final with Leeds at Wembley on Sunday. What next for the club? A big name manager to shake it up? It is an option. You have to feel for Rosenior if he is being kept in the dark.
The FA Cup would put a different shine on another crazy season but it is now a question of whether they can entrust that to Rosenior.
Either way, the silence out of Chelsea was deafening and it does now feel very ominous for Rosenior, who increasingly has been left as a dead man walking through this crisis.
Whether it is now or the summer, judgement time is coming. Before this disastrous run of five straight league defeats without a goal - their worst run since 1912 - they were preparing to make a decision at the end of the season on Rosenior’s future.
Now the Brighton defeat - and the manner of the performance - has brought that forward. Decisions are being made now.
Liam Rosenior
Scrutiny has grown on Rosenior in recent weeks(Image: Javier Garcia/Shutterstock)
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It was damning that the players clearly were not playing for the manager. But at Chelsea, we have been so many times before. And that is why it cannot just be on the manager. It is about the players they sign. It is about the characters in the dressing room.
It is about time the club assessed the players and their characters rather than their financial worth and whether they are a saleable asset a year or so down the line. Enzo Fernandez was dropped for two games after flirting with Real Madrid. It was Rosenior who had to come out publicly and explain that and also say it was a club decision. If it was a club decision, why aren’t the hierarchy saying anything?
But it is also about leaders. Is Fernandez a leader? Who are the leaders? Reece James leads by example on the pitch but is not especially vocal. Levi Colwill is arguably the club’s best centre half but has been out injured. They have spent over £1billion and yet still have Robert Sanchez, an error-prone keeper, in goal. Mind you, because he is not a forward, there is not much sell-on.
Chelsea have become a business to buy and sell players rather than a serious football club who want to build a team for success.
Marc Cucurella of Chelsea and teammates look dejected after the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea at Amex Stadium on April 21, 2026 in Brighton, England
Chelsea have fallen well below expectations this season(Image: 2026 Getty Images)
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Look at the injury list now. Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro missed Brighton. Colwill has missed much of the season. Romeo Lavia has spent most of his time at Chelsea on the treatment table. The injuries must be down to the Club World Cup and a never-ending season but also why are so many players injured? Is the squad being managed well enough?
They sign players on long contracts to sell them on. The model is very clear: young players who can improve and gain value. But the lack of leadership, senior figures and big characters is stark. That is what is letting Chelsea down. Not Rosenior. That is probably why the manager spoke out. To challenge those on the pitch.
This is a club which sacked Enzo Maresca after he won the Club World Cup, got back into the Champions League and won a European trophy.
It set an impossible standard. But they knew what they were doing in appointing Rosenior and sacking him now is a failure on the club’s part rather than his.
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