Chelsea Crisis Deepens: Rosenior Responds To Job Threat Talk

‎Liam Rosenior admits his position will come under scrutiny if he cannot arrest Chelsea’s alarming slide before the season ends.

‎Despite receiving recent public backing from co-owner Behdad Eghbali, he recognises that support is ultimately tied to results.

‎Chelsea’s situation has worsened after four straight league defeats, leaving them seven points behind fifth-placed Liverpool with five matches remaining. Asked whether his job depended on Champions League qualification, Rosenior offered a bluntly realistic response.

‎“I’ve had many conversations with them,” he said.

‎“It’s a very direct question, I like it. They’re supporting me. They believe in me. There’s one thing I haven’t believed the reality of the situation.

‎”At Chelsea Football Club, we’ve lost our last four league games. That’s not good enough. So, regardless of what they believe I can achieve with the club in the long term.

‎”I need to get results now with this group and with the sporting directors as well.”

‎Chelsea Fixtures

‎Chelsea sit sixth ahead of Tuesday night’s trip to Brighton. But a defeat could see the world champions slide as low as 11th in the table.

‎They will then return to league action on 4 May with a home fixture against Nottingham Forest.

‎“We can’t be looking to other teams or results, we have to look to ourselves,” Rosenior said.

‎“It’s easy, these words: ‘Keep the faith’ and ‘belief’. This is about character now. It’s about standing up. It’s about people who are willing in difficult moments to stand up for the shirt and fight.”

‎Rosenior revealed that Wesley Fofana had apologised for his angry reaction to being substituted during the 1-0 defeat by Manchester United on Saturday. Rosenior suggested it was up to his players to alter perceptions that they are badly behaved.

‎“I’ve spoken to the players about this,” he said.

‎“You tell a story about yourself in moments sometimes, especially on a football pitch. It’s emotional and you tell a story about your character and sometimes when you don’t show yourself in the best light. The perception of you is probably different from what the reality is.

‎“A lot of the work we’re doing with the group, with the players, is not football. It’s not just football. We have a young group of players and that’s a really positive thing at times. And with that comes a responsibility for my staff and me to help them through difficult moments. I want to change their perception of them because I’ve gotten to know them very well.

‎”That takes time and they need to learn quicker than maybe they have done,”

‎Rosenior said he would continue to protect his side against external criticism. “My job is to be accountable,” he said.

‎“The buck stops with me. I want to protect them. I believe we will come through this period so much stronger. But we have to get this part right now.”

‎Chelsea Injury Crisis

‎Chelsea are currently managing a rising list of muscle injuries, with Estêvão Willian, Jamie Gittens and Reece James all sidelined by hamstring problems. João Pedro is also in doubt because of a thigh issue.

‎Rosenior insisted his training methods are not responsible. He noted he has not had sufficient time to alter the schedule since taking over from Enzo Maresca in January.

‎“When I first joined the club I had a great conversation with the head of performance and the head of medical,” Rosenior said.

‎“They’re doing a lot of research into why even before my time [it’s happening].

‎“But the logical and honest answer is: look at the number of games our players have played. The more games you play in a short space of time, the higher your risk of injury, especially muscular, goes through the roof.

‎”That’s something that we need to look at and how we can best protect the players.”