Chelsea have sacked manager Liam Rosenior after a run of five consecutive Premier League defeats, their worst league form since 1912.
CHELSEA Football Club has sacked head coach Liam Rosenior after less than four months in charge.
The decision follows a run of five successive Premier League defeats, the club’s worst such sequence in the league since 1912.
A 3-0 loss to Brighton on Tuesday proved the final straw for the hierarchy. Rosenior himself labelled the performance “unacceptable” in his final post-match comments.
The club confirmed the departure in a statement on Wednesday. It said the decision was not taken lightly but that recent results had fallen below required standards.
Assistant coach Calum McFarlane will take charge as caretaker for the remainder of the season. His first match will be Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Leeds United.
Chelsea currently sit seventh in the Premier League, seven points adrift of the Champions League places with four games left. The club posted a staggering pre-tax loss of £262.4 million last season, increasing the financial pressure to secure European qualification.
McFarlane’s immediate task is to salvage a European spot for next season. The club stated it will now “undertake a process of self-reflection to make the right long-term appointment”.
This marks the fifth permanent manager fired by the BlueCo ownership group in under five years. Outgoing Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, Fulham’s Marco Silva and former Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic are rumoured candidates for the role.
Rosenior was lured from French affiliate club Strasbourg in January following Enzo Maresca’s departure. His tenure began with promise but quickly unravelled.
Chelsea were knocked out of the League Cup by Arsenal and humiliated 8-2 on aggregate by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last 16. The team has failed to score during its five-game league losing streak.
Cracks in the squad’s relationship with the coach had been evident for weeks. The decision to part with Maresca was publicly questioned by players Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella in January.
Fernandez was later dropped for two games after suggesting he was open to a move to Real Madrid. Rosenior’s frustration boiled over after the Brighton defeat.
“I have defended the players at times when it was the correct thing but I can’t defend that performance,” Rosenior said. “It doesn’t represent this football club, it doesn’t represent anything I ask from the group and that has to change.”
Fans have continuously protested against BlueCo’s ownership and their policy of signing young global talent. While this approach has secured successes like Cole Palmer, key players could depart if Champions League football is not secured.
Chelsea face the prospect of a second season in three years outside Europe’s elite competition. The club has little to show for over £1 billion in player spending since the US consortium, fronted by Todd Boehly, took over.
