The frustration with Liam Rosenior was not limited to just Chelsea’s fans. According to a new report, some of Chelsea’s players had become annoyed with the now-sacked manager’s usage of players.
Rosenior watched his Chelsea side lose a fifth consecutive Premier League defeat at Brighton on Tuesday night. Less than 24 hours later, Chelsea confirmed that they had sacked Rosenior after just three months.
The defeat to Brighton was atrocious. It flattered Chelsea, who could have lost by five or six despite boasting three big-money signings from Brighton in Robert Sanchez, Marc Cucurella and Moises Caicedo.
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After reports said Rosenior has said goodbye to his Chelsea players, the Blues confirmed that Rosenior had indeed been sacked. A report from BBC Sport claims the squad were getting annoyed with him.
Chelsea players not impressed with Josh Acheampong usage
Since Rosenior’s arrival at Chelsea, Josh Acheampong had only been used sparingly. A player that Enzo Maresca declared he was in love with, Rosenior only started Acheampong once in the Premier League.
Against PSG in the second leg, with Reece James and Malo Gusto sidelined, Rosenior picked Mamadou Sarr on the right instead of Acheampong. The usage of Acheampong and others had caused ‘discontent’.
Josh Acheampong of Chelsea
Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images
Nizaar Kinsella and Sami Mokbel write: “Decisions to rotate goalkeepers and limit minutes for certain players, including Josh Acheampong, who often features briefly from the bench, have caused discontent.
“Perhaps most concerning is the atmosphere within the leadership group. One source inside Chelsea said senior players are often quiet when invited to give their views during near-daily team meetings.”
What will happen now, and are Chelsea pursuing a manager?
As things stand, Rosenior is no longer Chelsea manager. With Rosenior no longer in the dugout, Chelsea have re-instated Calum McFarlane as interim manager after his two-game spell in charge, back in January.
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Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP via Getty Images
The FA Cup semi-final is looming for Chelsea. McFarlane looks set to remain in charge on a caretaker basis until the end of the season, giving Chelsea time to conduct their search for Rosenior’s replacement.
Rosenior’s sacking, however, will cost Chelsea a lot. Chelsea will have to pay £24m to Rosenior in compensation, because the manager was sacked three months into a six-and-a-half-year deal.
Whether Rosenior is the one to blame is unclear. Some feel that while the hierarchy are to blame, the Chelsea gaffer should have done a lot better. What is clear is that Rosenior had lost the dressing room.
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