Rosenior had to go - but Chelsea's problems run much, much deeper

Liam Rosenior Chelsea

If we're being brutally honest, it always felt like a case of not if, but when the axe would fall on Liam Rosenior after he was named as the surprise successor to the sacked Enzo Maresca in January. A positive start in the Stamford Bridge dugout now feels like a distant memory, with a historically-bad run of form accelerating his downfall. Having overseen a fifth league defeat in a row, Rosenior has probably deservedly been relieved of his duties - but he was simply a symptom of the Blues wider, deeper problems.

Although he was doomed from the start in the eyes of many, few would have expected things to unravel quite so quickly for the English tactician. Tuesday night's brutal dismantling by Brighton proved to be the final straw, as the result all-but ended Chelsea's quest to qualify for the Champions League and plunged their hopes of securing any form of European football into real jeopardy. Within 24 hours, he had been sacked.

Rosenior has made plenty of unwanted history in west London, overseeing the club's worst run of form since the 90s and even matching a 114-year-old record as his side lost five games in a row by an aggregate scoreline of 11-0. But while it would be easy to point the finger squarely at the outgoing head coach, it's blindingly obvious that Chelsea's problems run much, much deeper.

In the wake of another managerial sacking and as fan discontent reaches boiling point, the club hierarchy faces a seismic summer that could bring their project to its knees...

Brighton & Hove Albion v Chelsea - Premier League

Point of no return

There was a grim inevitability about the thumping at Brighton and the nature of it. Chelsea were on the back foot from the first whistle as they conceded within three minutes, and they looked bereft of the confidence required to haul themselves back into proceedings thereafter. For want of a better word, it was pathetic.

Having chased shadows throughout the first period, a brief resurgence early in the second half proved to be misleading as the hosts capitalised on an individual error to effectively put that game out of reach with 40 minutes still to play. Rosenior's side never once looked like mounting a comeback thereafter as the players visibly failed to put up a fight for their increasingly under-pressure head coach.

The toxic atmosphere in the away end was the cherry on top of a rotten cake, as chants of "We want out Chelsea back", "F*ck off Rosenior" and "F*ck off Eghbali, you're not welcome here" rang around the Amex Stadium, with the home fans even joining in at one stage with chants of "Liam Rosenior, he's one of our own" in a tongue-in-cheek show of support for the former Brighton player. In truth, there was no coming back from that.

Another grisly 3-0 defeat leaves Chelsea down in seventh in the Premier League, seven points off the top five despite having played a game more than their rivals. Their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League are now all-but over, and that clearly wasn't lost on their players as they lined up to stare blankly at the raging away support at full-time.

Brighton & Hove Albion v Chelsea - Premier League

Not good enough

While the situation certainly wasn't entirely Rosenior's fault, it is inarguable that Chelsea's recent results and form are unacceptable.

The inexperienced Englishman has overseen a historically bad run, with the Blues beaten in five league matches in a row and failing to score a single goal in the process for the first time since 1912 (that's right, nineteen-twelve). The five-game losing streak is their longest since November 1993.

Since Rosenior's appointment in January, the west Londoners are 13th in the form table, and they currently look more likely to be sucked deeper into mid-table in real life than they do to put a run of results together to ensure European qualification at the bare minimum in the four games that remain.

The beleaguered head coach's cause wasn't helped by Chelsea's daunting run-in; they still need to face Liverpool at Anfield, host relegation-battling Tottenham and travel to Sunderland's Stadium of Light fortress on the final day in their now-desperate quest for European qualification. He was looking less and less likely to achieve that with each passing game.

There had been a lot of talk about Rosenior needing a whole pre-season to really show what he can do, but the job the similarly-inexperienced Michael Carrick has done at Manchester United since being named their interim head coach at around the same time his counterpart started work - propelling the Red Devils from seventh to third - makes that a moot point.

Fulham v Chelsea - Premier League

Inevitable axe

Indeed, it was reported as recently as last week that Chelsea would not review Rosenior's position until he had a full season under his belt even if he failed to secure a top-five finish, as was the case with predecessors Mauricio Pochettino and Maresca. However, this downturn has been so alarming that it seems that stance swiftly changed.

Less than 24 hours after the capitulation on the south coast, Rosenior was gone. Following a leadership meeting at the club's Cobham training base on Wednesday he was relieved of his duties, as a club statement read: "Liam has always conducted himself with the highest integrity and professionalism following his appointment midway through the season. This has not been a decision the Club has taken lightly, however recent results and performances have fallen below the necessary standards with still so much more to play for this season. As the Club works to bring stability to the Head Coach position, we will undertake a process of self-reflection to make the right long-term appointment."

The BBC had previously reported that support from the club hierarchy had dried up. It was just days ago that co-owner Behdad Eghbali offered Rosenior a flimsy vote of confidence, saying rather unconvincingly: "I think we're behind Liam."

Crucially, it was added that the axed head coach was losing the support of the dressing room, with a number of players "unconvinced" by the young English tactician and growing 'frustrated'. It's also said many of the Spanish speakers preferred working under Maresca. Of course, in his brief time in charge Rosenior had had to contend with Enzo Fernandez brazenly flirting with a move to Real Madrid and Marc Cucurella questioning the decision to sack the Italian.

Liam Rosenior Chelsea

Parting shot

For the first time during the dire run of form that brought about his downfall, the gloves were notably off for Rosenior in his post-match interviews and press conference in the wake of the Brighton debacle, perhaps pointing to a breakdown in his relationship with some of his playing staff. First, he told Sky Sports: "It was unacceptable in every aspect of the game, unacceptable in our attitude. I keep coming out and defending the players. That's indefensible, that performance tonight. The manner of the goals we conceded, the amount of duels that we lost, the lack of intensity in the team. Something needs to change drastically right now.

"The professionalism wasn't there. It's a really difficult night. The most difficult night not even just here, so far, at this magnificent football club, but in my career. Some of the things I witnessed today, I never want to see again."

He continued on the warpath when facing the wider media, adding: "In the basics, in the pride that you should have in wearing the shirt, that was unacceptable. I've defended the players and I am accountable. I've always said that. After tonight, I think the players as well need to have a look in the mirror for what they put in. You can talk about tactics, tactics come after the basics. Having more courage to play, winning duels, winning headers, tackles, conceding terrible goals. That was an unacceptable performance tonight."

When asked about a disconnect between himself and the players, he responded damningly: "Judging off that performance, it looks that way. I won't lie. I don't feel there's a disconnect between me and the players. We work very closely with them in training, in individual meetings, team meetings. We are giving everything to the players.

"There is a lack of spirit, a lack of belief that can create that perspective that makes it look a certain way. I can't argue with that at the moment because the run we're on is unacceptable and that performance definitely was as well."

Behdad Eghbali Chelsea

Systemic failure

As we've touched upon, the mess Chelsea find themselves in certainly isn't all of Rosenior's making. Already a BlueCo underling at Strasbourg, he was almost certainly brought across to Stamford Bridge as a 'yes man' who was happy to operate within the predetermined framework set by the owners and sporting directors.

The wording of the club's statement about his exit suggests owners BlueCo have finally acknowledged that the relentless churn in the dugout that has inevitably failed to deliver sustained success. Eghbali even said last week: "Getting that stability on the manager side is one of the things we haven't done right yet. There is a plan. We reflect on the plan. We try to improve the plan and tweak the plan if it's not working."

In truth, this is exactly the outcome the majority of fans and pundits had expected from Rosenior's appointment, albeit the dramatic downturn in form has perhaps come sooner than anticipated. Hiring a young and inexperienced manager who lacked elite club experience and expecting him to lead a bunch of young and inexperienced players was never likely to yield positive results - certainly not quickly, at least, and especially not in the highly pressurised environment at Chelsea. He was doomed from the start.

It's already been reported that the club is planning to change its approach to the transfer window by pursuing 'mature', 'emotionally resilient' players with 'Premier League experience', rather than continuing with the unsuccessful approach of shelling out billions to stockpile young players in an attempt to build a future-proof squad, the majority of whom have fallen well short of the required level. As they enter a "process of self-reflection", it seems the decision-makers wants to end the endless hiring and firing in the dugout, too.

FBL-ENG-PR-CHELSEA-MAN UTD-PROTEST

Seismic summer

Simmering discontent is threatening to boil over among the fanbase. Before Saturday's defeat to Man Utd, hundreds of supporters took to the streets to protest against the hierarchy, holding banners that read "BlueCo OUT!" and chanting "We want our Chelsea back" while showing support for former owner Roman Abramovich outside Stamford Bridge. The venomous chants from the away end in midweek reflect that the mood shows no sign of lightening despite Rosenior's exit. The onus is now on the club to appease them.

Andoni Iraola is the early frontrunner to be the next man in the dugout at Stamford Bridge as he prepares to leave Bournemouth when his contract expires at the end of the season. That is an appointment that would likely be well received given the impressive work the Spaniard has done on the south coast with limited resources. However, coinciding links to former Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic, who has limited experience as a head coach, will again be cause for concern.

It promises, therefore, to be a seismic summer at Stamford Bridge. If the leadership group get the big decisions wrong in terms of Rosenior's replacement and incoming transfers who actually bring more experience, then it could feasibly be the period that brings their project to its knees.