Following a dismal 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, Chelsea has plummeted to ninth place in the Premier League standings under Liam Rosenior's guidance. This loss, combined with their Champions League debacle against Paris Saint-Germain, has intensified the pressure on Rosenior ahead of the upcoming match against Manchester United. Initially, Rosenior's tenure showed promise, with the team winning their first four Premier League games.
However, they have only managed to secure one victory in the subsequent seven matches. The stark contrast between Chelsea's performance against top-tier teams and lesser opponents has raised concerns about the team's trajectory under Rosenior.
Despite some impressive wins, such as those against Napoli and Aston Villa, the overall record under Rosenior is strikingly similar to that of his predecessor, Enzo Maresca. Chelsea's average of 1.54 points per game under Rosenior is a slight improvement from the 1.48 points per game earlier in the season but still ranks as the third-lowest for a Chelsea manager since 2004. This rate is insufficient to secure a Champions League spot, with the team likely to finish with just 57 points if they maintain this pace.
The worry is that their current form suggests even this target may be unattainable unless Rosenior can orchestrate a significant turnaround in the coming weeks. Rosenior has reminded critics that even renowned managers like Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp needed time to 'sort things out' at Manchester City and Liverpool, respectively. However, with the season nearing its climax, fans are growing impatient. Chelsea's mental fragility, evident in their tendency to squander leads, has persisted under Rosenior, and the team's discipline has been an issue, with more cards received than any other side since Rosenior's first game in charge.
As Chelsea faces a challenging run of fixtures, their chances of securing a top-five finish look bleak, and failure to achieve this could have significant implications for Rosenior's future. On a more positive note, underlying statistics, including expected goals, suggest that Chelsea's performances under Rosenior have been better than their results indicate, with the team creating superior chances than they have conceded.
This positive expected goal differential is a strong predictor of future performance, but with results being paramount, especially at this stage of the season, Rosenior faces an uphill battle to convince fans and the club that he is the right person to lead Chelsea forward.