Chelsea’s Champions League exit on Tuesday after a thumping 8-2 aggregate defeat by Paris St Germain means the big-spending Londoners and their US owners are once again trying to rescue something from the tail-end of a chaotic season.
Having promised to end the carousel of managers at Stamford Bridge under former owner Roman Abramovich, the BlueCo consortium who took over in 2022 must now decide whether to stick with their bet on the inexperienced Liam Rosenior.
The 41-year-old Englishman arrived in January to replace Italian Enzo Maresca who also had a limited CV as a coach. He lasted only 18 months in the job before complaining that he was not supported and being shown the door, despite winning the UEFA Conference League and the Fifa Club World Cup.
Before Maresca, BlueCo had parted company with Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino.
Rosenior’s challenge now — after the 3-0 defeat to reigning European champions PSG at Stamford Bridge and last week’s 5-2 thrashing in Paris, which represented the club’s joint-heaviest defeat in a two-legged European tie — is to get Chelsea out of their nosedive and qualify for next season’s Champions League.
That is considered a bare minimum for a club crowned champions of Europe in 2012 and 2021.
But Chelsea — after an initial good run of form when Rosenior arrived — have picked up only five points from their last five Premier League games, including a limp 0-1 home defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday.
Chelsea sit sixth in the table and risk being overtaken by west London neighbours Brentford, who are only three points behind, if they cannot turn their form around, starting with a visit to Everton on Saturday.
“When you go through a difficult run, you have to make sure your habits are right. We have a really difficult game at Everton and we have to be at our best to get a result there,” Rosenior told broadcaster TNT Sports after the PSG defeat.
The only prospect of silverware for Chelsea this season now rests on their campaign in the domestic FA Cup with a home tie against the English third tier’s bottom club Port Vale offering the likelihood of a place in the semi-finals.
A cup triumph at Wembley would bring some joy to the club’s fans — who on Tuesday vented their frustration with boos at halftime, at the end of the game and at each substitution made by Rosenior.
But whatever the outcome of the remainder of the season now, the supporters are likely to remain sceptical over the ability of the club’s owners to get the big strategic decisions right, including their approach to recruitment.
BlueCo has so far pursued a strategy of heavy spending on young players signed on long contracts to the frustration of many fans who yearn for more of a balance in the squad between youth and experience.
Source: Khaleej Times