Following Chelsea's recent 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, Liam Rosenior's tenure as head coach has come under scrutiny. Despite initially pointing out that Chelsea were fourth in the Premier League table since his appointment, they have now slipped to ninth place after 11 games under his leadership. This poor run of form, combined with their 8-2 aggregate loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, has raised concerns about the team's trajectory under Rosenior.
The team's initial positive start, with four consecutive Premier League wins, has given way to a concerning trend of losses against top-tier teams. Sky Sports' Paul Merson noted that 'Rosenior started well, but when Chelsea play the big boys, they get beaten up.' While Rosenior has secured impressive wins away to Napoli and Aston Villa, the Manchester City loss has fueled supporter pessimism ahead of the upcoming match against Manchester United. Rosenior's record, three months into his tenure, is strikingly similar to that of his predecessor, Enzo Maresca.
Chelsea have averaged 1.54 points per Premier League game under Rosenior, a slight increase from the previous season but still the third-lowest by a Chelsea boss since 2004. This rate would see them finish the season with just 57 points, only five points higher than Liverpool's current total, highlighting the need for dramatically improved results to secure a Champions League spot. Rosenior has reminded fans that even top coaches like Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp needed time to 'sort things out' at their respective clubs.
However, with Chelsea's mental fragility and issues with ill-discipline persisting, fans are entitled to expect more from their team. The head coach faces an uphill battle to address these concerns and secure a top-five finish, with the team's outlook appearing bleak. Despite the recent results, there is some encouragement to be found in the underlying numbers. Chelsea's Premier League performances under Rosenior have been better than earlier in the campaign, according to expected goals, with their net expected goals in the three months since his appointment being the second-highest among Premier League sides.
This suggests that the team has been creating better chances than they have conceded, but results have not reflected this. With only six Premier League games remaining, Rosenior has his work cut out to convince Chelsea fans that he is the right man to take the club forward.