Chelsea’s manager believes only three or four players in his squad put in an acceptable effort in the loss to Brighton, which could only mean Rosenior’s sacking is imminent.
Liam Rosenior once again saw his players being overtaken during their heavy defeat against Brighton (Image: Getty)
There were some pretty low blows directed at Liam Rosenior from some former teammates and people who should know better. Before his defeat at Brighton, Sean Davies, who played with him at Fulham, said Rosenoir “spoke as if he had swallowed a long dictionary of words”.
Kevin Kilbane has insisted that everything his former Hull City colleague says is “no waffle or nonsense”. Some of what was supposed to be informed criticism was taken as ridicule. Some of them weren’t very fun. He was a relatively young coach trying to make his way in a very demanding job.
However, for Rosenoir, with these players, it was an impossible task. Because it wasn’t just his former teammates who were making fun of him. The Chelsea players, who should have given everything for him, were laughing at him. But they weren’t mocking him with words, they were mocking him with effort (lack), dedication (lack), and performance (lack).
The fact that these Chelsea players are ahead in terms of mileage in every Premier League game tells you everything you need to know about them. Of the 20 outfield players who started the match between Brighton and Chelsea, 11 played the full game.
read more: Enzo Fernandes’ actions after Chelsea’s record low against Brighton speak volumesread more: Liam Rosenior will offer huge funding if Chelsea sack him with ‘compensation package’
In the list of teams with the least appearances, Chelsea occupy the bottom three. No Chelsea player came close to the 13.16 kilometers covered by Pascal Gross.
It’s true that Rosenior made a lot of mistakes. The censure and suspension of Enzo Fernández for what seemed like a relatively trivial act of musing about the idea of living in the big city of Madrid was certainly one of them.
There were clearly flaws in his tactical system in a poor game at Brighton, and the introduction of Alejandro Garnacho in the second half spoke volumes about the club’s myriad problems.
Everyone in football knew about the attitude problems Garnacho had at Manchester United. It was about the game. Still, someone at Chelsea thought paying £40m for Garnacho was a good idea. This was a shocking decision, but one that is in line with how this version of Chelsea Football Club operates.
Liam Rosenior hit out at his players after the defeat to Brighton (Image: (Photo by Javier Garcia/Shutterstock))
But Rosenior needed a leader in the second half against Brighton, and no matter what you think of the rest of the players on the bench, Garnacho is not a leader. Garnacho’s presence at the club reflects how badly the club is run, and the fundamental responsibility for the mess lies with the owners and their executives.
But the bottom line is that there was an eerie, unmistakable look to the Brighton game, from a group of players who weren’t afraid of their manager. If he didn’t feel like it, he figured he could spend the night without worrying about what was to come.
They could throw it away, as Chris Sutton suggested on TV. He described them as “gutless”. And he was right. And to be fair, Rosenoir himself wasn’t all that critical of his players either.
“That attitude was unacceptable,” he said. “I continue to come out and protect my players, but that performance was indefensible.
Alejandro Garnacho has become the symbol of everything that is wrong with this Chelsea team (Image: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
“Apart from maybe three or four of the 11 players, there was a general lack of attitude, spirit and determination. That’s just not good enough for this club.”
And that wasn’t enough for Rose Noir to keep her job. Therefore, he is gone.
Basically, it wasn’t his fault. It had nothing to do with his phrases or anything. He was another victim where most managers come to humiliate their players and collect their fees.
After the Brighton game, the question was not if he would be sacked, but when. He should be relieved that it happened rather quickly.
And I wish the next person the best of luck in the most unrewarding job — even a lucrative one — of managing one of the biggest names in football.
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