In his most recent column, former England midfielder Paul Merson shares his candid assessment of Liam Rosenior’s precarious position at Chelsea after the Blues suffered a crushing 3‑0 loss to Brighton at the Amex Stadium. The defeat has pushed Chelsea into an alarming slump that is now setting unwanted club records.
For the first time in more than a century, the London side have endured five consecutive Premier League defeats without finding the back of the net. That run of losses has seen the reigning champions slip to seventh place in the table, trailing fifth‑placed Liverpool by seven points despite Liverpool having a game in hand.
Chelsea’s seventh‑place standing is currently held only because of a slightly superior goal‑difference; both Brentford and Bournemouth sit on the same points total but also possess a game in hand. If the Blues fail to turn things around before their next league fixture, they could easily find themselves dragged into the lower half of the table, a scenario that looks increasingly likely as they also prepare for an FA Cup semi‑final against Leeds United this weekend.
Merson, who has been a Chelsea supporter for over five decades, opens his column by recalling his first match at the age of six. "I’ve been a Blues fan for 52 years. I went to my first game when I was six and I can’t ever remember anything like that. People might say that’s an exaggeration, but I’ve seen us lose many games, I’ve seen us play matches where we needed a win to stay up, but I’ve never seen a Chelsea side that didn’t try," he writes.
He then draws a stark contrast between the way Chelsea lost and the way other clubs have suffered defeats. "Arsenal lost on Sunday and you couldn’t moan at them; they created chances, they gave Man City a game. When you watch the Brighton game, it’s unacceptable at the highest level. Liam Rosenior said it himself," Merson notes, emphasizing that even the manager acknowledged the sub‑standard performance.
According to Merson, Rosenior’s footballing pedigree – having been a player at the top level himself – makes the Brighton showing all the more shocking. "He’s been in football, he’s played, he would have never seen that before.
The one thing you have to be assured of is 100 per cent effort, to give your best. You have to run and work hard. The first goal was embarrassing – a header at the near post. I sit there and think, ‘Cor, you’ve got something about you to be able to do that.’ It takes something special to play for a club of Chelsea’s calibre, with the away end packed out, and then deliver something as bad as that," he says.
Merson acknowledges that poor performances happen, but he stresses that they must be accompanied by relentless effort. He likens Chelsea’s display to a mismatched fixture such as Manchester City versus Barnet, noting that even a lower‑league side would be expected to produce at least a shot on target against the champions. "I’ve never seen that many players all at once fail to show any fight. I tell my 11‑year‑old son, ‘You cannot assure me of playing well, but you can assure me of giving 100 per cent.’ No one can complain after that," he writes.
He goes on to criticize the squad’s inability to live up to their hefty price tags, stating that players worth £50‑£70 million should not be delivering performances that border on “disgraceful at the highest level.” He even draws a parallel with Burnley, a team that sits near the bottom of the table but, in his view, never stops trying. "I’ve watched Burnley a lot this season; they are second bottom, and I have never watched them and seen that. They lose every week, but I’ve never seen them not try.
I’m still a bit numb. I still can’t believe what I watched. Rosenior will have been shocked as well; he’ll be thinking, ‘how can they do that?’" Merson’s frustration is palpable when he says he never expected such a performance from Chelsea, a club that historically sets standards for English football. "I would never see that performance coming.
Never. Flabbergasted. If I don’t see it from Wolves or Burnley, how can you see it from Chelsea?" He warns that the players must confront reality in a meeting, work harder, and avoid further embarrassment. "These players have the best job in the world, fans adore them and travel everywhere for them – they have to have a meeting and get back to reality.
They have to turn up on Sunday; if they turn up the same, they will get embarrassed. It’s a heads‑or‑tails football match, maybe even shifting towards Leeds," he predicts. Looking ahead, Merson speculates on Rosenior’s future, suggesting that the manager’s fate could be decided before the Leeds semi‑final. "It’ll be interesting to see if Liam stays or goes.
Very interesting," he writes. He then turns the lens onto Leeds United supporters, who, according to him, would be desperate for Rosenior to remain in charge. He explains that a manager is usually dismissed for one of two reasons: lack of fan support or lack of player backing. "This is double‑bubble.
And he knows that because of his interview after the game. He’s taken the blame and backed the players. Yesterday was a sign to me that he knows he’s in major trouble and needs to look after himself," Merson asserts. Merson believes Rosenior will not be allowed to collect the remainder of his contract if he is sacked, describing such a scenario as “more worrying than anything.” He doubts that a manager without top‑level experience could instantly succeed at Chelsea, calling the notion unrealistic.
"It ain’t happening," he concludes. He expresses sympathy for Rosenior, noting that it must be painful to see players not running for you. "I felt sorry for Liam yesterday because that’s the worst feeling in the world, when the players don’t run for you and you can see they’re not. It’s broken; these players are on six‑year contracts.
They were bought on the strength that they would rip it up," Merson laments. Merson also touches on the club’s transfer dealings, highlighting the recent acquisition of Alejandro Garnacho and the uncertain future of Enzo Fernández, who has expressed a desire to join Real Madrid.
He argues that Chelsea, as a profit‑driven enterprise, will not sell a £100 million player for £60 million, and that offloading Fernández would force a sale of Cole Palmer for around £80 million just to balance the books – a move that would leave the club with little to show for the expenditure. "If they do, that means they have to sell Cole Palmer for £80 million to level it out.
Then you have lost your two‑star players essentially for no profit. For zilch, nothing," he says.
Finally, Merson reflects on the broader managerial landscape, noting that while many ambitious coaches would relish the chance to manage Chelsea, the club’s current financial model and recent performances make it difficult to attract proven top‑flight managers. He ends on a sober note, acknowledging that Leeds fans will hope Rosenior stays because the problem lies not with the manager but with a squad that refuses to play for him.
"Opposition teams will see that yesterday was one of the worst performances ever seen, and I’ve seen some bad teams at Chelsea," he warns. In summary, Paul Merson’s column paints a bleak picture for Chelsea: a historic winless streak, a demoralised squad, questionable transfer strategies, and a manager whose job appears increasingly untenable. The upcoming FA Cup semi‑final against Leeds United could be a pivotal moment, either offering a lifeline or confirming that deeper changes are required to restore the club’s former glory.