Have Chelsea progressed under Rosenior? Analysing his Blues tenure

Liam Rosenior is facing criticism for his early tenure as Chelsea manager – but is it fair, and are his players on board ahead of the climax to the season?

Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Everton meant Chelsea suffered their fourth loss in a row for the first time since 2023, dropping to sixth in the Premier League table – with a fifth-place finish likely to guarantee Champions League football.

It is a concern given Chelsea’s ambition to qualify for next season’s elite European competition, although they remain only one point behind fifth‑placed Liverpool following the Reds’ loss at Brighton.

The gap did widen though to Manchester United and Aston Villa, who drew and won respectively, leaving the Blues six points off fourth spot and with less margin for error.

There is no suggestion inside Chelsea that Rosenior, who succeeded Enzo Maresca in January from partner club Strasbourg, is in danger of losing his job, either now or at the end of the season.

There is an understanding that he took over mid‑season from Maresca, who walked away following a falling-out with the hierarchy, despite the club having hoped his predecessor would remain until at least the summer.

Such is the strength of support for Rosenior – who is under contract until 2032 – that he has been heavily involved in regular transfer‑planning meetings with sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.

After the current international break, Chelsea host Port Vale in the FA Cup quarter‑finals on Saturday, 4 April, before Premier League matches at Stamford Bridge against Manchester City and Manchester United.

Injuries and workload – in Rosenior’s defence

“We’ve had 10 league games together as a group – we’ve got 17 points. We’re fourth in the table in my time, so we have to forget the noise,” Rosenior said on Saturday.

Victories in his first four Premier League matches calmed initial fears about the appointment, as Chelsea climbed from eighth back into the Champions League spots.

But, by winning just one of their past six Premier League games and dropping to sixth, the club seem to be back to square one.

Injuries and disciplinary issues continue to be a problem, while Rosenior has blamed the club’s workload for a statistic that shows Chelsea have been outrun by every team this campaign.

Since the start of last season they have played 113 matches – more than any other Premier League club – after winning the Conference League and the newly expanded summer Club World Cup. They also had their shortest gap between seasons of just 35 days.

In an attempt to cope, Chelsea have made 99 changes to their starting line-ups this season in the Premier League, more than any other club.

Is there cause for renewed concern?

Rosenior has overseen a dip in form since beginning to introduce his own tactical methods at Stamford Bridge.

In his first month – when he won seven of his first nine matches – he largely, by his own admission, stuck to Maresca’s game plan because he had little time to work on the training pitch.

However, after avoiding the Champions League play-offs, Rosenior had time to bring more of his own tactical ideology into the team – and form has subsequently dropped.

In his first month, Rosenior focused on fixing some of the low-hanging issues, such as ill-discipline, raising the team’s intensity and improving concentration.

Yet back-to-back red cards against Burnley and Arsenal followed, Chelsea continue to be outrun in the Premier League, and lapses in concentration have become a weekly gripe from the 41-year-old.

He has also said he needs to rotate his players more effectively to keep them fresh, while facing criticism for not having a clear first‑choice goalkeeper amid a late‑season dip in form by Maresca’s former number one Rob Sanchez.

Rosenior told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We will now have more time to analyse instead of jumping from game to game, which we can do with less emotion and sit down as a staff to talk about how we improve.”

It is not only Rosenior facing growing criticism, as Chelsea supporters have begun chanting anti‑ownership songs and are planning a second demonstration at the stadium, alongside Strasbourg’s ultras, before the match against Manchester United on Saturday, 18 April.

If Rosenior were to fail, it would reflect poorly on the BlueCo leadership at Stamford Bridge, and it is a case of fighting on with success in the FA Cup and qualifying for the Champions League still a possibility.

What do the players think?

Chelsea’s performance at Everton was concerning, particularly because of the poor body language on show for much of the 90 minutes.

It came after vice-captain Enzo Fernandez told sports channel TUDN following the joint-record 8-2 aggregate defeat by Paris St-Germain: “We lost a manager who gave us identity, structure and direction – a Club World Cup winner – and no-one, not even the players, understands why.

“Mid-season, everything changed. The system collapsed, the stability went with him.”

According to several sources close to the players, the comments reflect some of the current frustration around poor results.

However, Rosenior sought to play down Fernandez’s remarks, saying the midfielder is “committed” and the comments were “misconstrued” following an emotional defeat.

Fernandez’s comments come amid speculation that he might leave in the summer, with Real Madrid and PSG reportedly interested.

Chelsea’s wage structure is linked to performance, and almost every member of the squad would face a pay cut if the club fail to qualify for the Champions League.

This is understood to be a concern for certain players such as Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, who have been seeking improved deals.

Chelsea prefer to wait until the end of the season to review contract situations, although they rewarded captain Reece James with a new deal last week.

Why Rosenior is being ridiculed?

‘LinkedIn Liam’ and ‘Glenn Huddle’ are among the unkind nicknames aimed at Rosenior, who has been compared to comedy characters David Brent from The Office and Will from The Inbetweeners.

Rosenior has faced scrutiny since arriving at Chelsea, with social media circulating a viral video from his time at Strasbourg in which he outlines his philosophy on management, describing it as “man” and “age” – meaning “you’re ageing men”.

His defence of the much‑criticised centre‑circle huddle – in which he said his players were “respecting the ball” – only invited yet more criticism.

Rosenior’s coaching staff had been warned to tell the players not to huddle before the Newcastle match, but this instruction was ignored, leading to referee Paul Tierney standing in the middle of captain James’ pre‑match pep talk in bizarre scenes.

To some, it reflected poorly on Rosenior, but it was the brainchild of James himself under influence from former Wigan Warriors rugby league player Willie Isa, who is effectively the squad’s mentality coach.

Rosenior has come across as respectful and patient, and impressed in work with Chelsea’s charitable foundation, according to multiple anecdotes from staff inside the club.

He says the personal nature of the criticism is part of being at a big club, he is “comfortable in his own skin” and is targeted because he “looks” and “speaks” differently to previous Chelsea bosses.

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