Why Rosenior failed at Chelsea, and what club must change for next manager

It took just 106 days for Chelsea to say “no” to the “yes man.” Liam Rosenior, who was fired as manager Tuesday, fought this perception from the outset, that he was handed an opportunity his résumé did not suggest he was ready for purely based on his relationship with the owners.

Rosenior had thrived within BlueCo’s multi-club ownership at Strasbourg and his understanding of their unique operational methodology qualified him for a crack at one of the biggest jobs in world football. Or, at least, so the Chelsea hierarchy believed.

The problem was, nobody else did. Skepticism within the fan base only grew over time, while the utterly insipid nature of Tuesday’s 3-0 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion strongly suggests the players never truly respected the head coach at the helm.

– Chelsea vs. Leeds United: Stream LIVE 4/27, 10 a.m. ET, ESPN+ (U.S.)
– Rosenior was out of his depth at Chelsea, and it was obvious from the start
– Who could replace Rosenior at Chelsea: Fàbregas? Iraola? Nagelsmann?

After succeeding Enzo Maresca in January, Rosenior lost 10 of his 23 games in charge. Chelsea lost five consecutive Premier League games for the first time since 1993. They lost five in a row without scoring for the first time since 1912.

Sittiing eighth in the table, Chelsea now face the prospect of missing out on UEFA Champions League qualification, and Sunday’s FA Cup semifinal against Leeds United is their last chance to keep their trophy hopes alive. How did it come to this?

Was he managing?

Multiple sources who know Rosenior describe him to ESPN as a decent, honest and hard-working man. Viewed through the prism of the general lack of opportunities afforded to British managers and ethnic minority candidates at the top of game, Rosenior’s arrival at Stamford Bridge was greeted warmly by many within the football world.

But shorn of the coaching experience possessed by many of his predecessors — an interim period at Derby County, 18-month spells at Hull City and Strasbourg — extra emphasis was placed on his words. And Rosenior did not always help himself in this regard, especially as old footage resurfaced of him redefining the word ‘manage.’

“If you split the two words, it’s man [and] age,” he said in an interview with Ligue 1 during his time at Strasbourg. “You’re aging men.” Disparaging memes circulated on social media, but Rosenior took a disarming approach in his first few public appearances in the role.

However, it only seemed to highlight the jump he was making and — in an attempt to compensate, perhaps — Rosenior’s tone in the first few weeks focused on universally defending his players and talking up the possibilities. But perhaps in his willingness to be an open and transparent communicator, he would often become immersed in trivial issues that would dilute his authority.

After losing to Arsenal in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semifinal, he spoke of the Gunners showing a lack of respect during the warmups. Chelsea became embroiled in a farcical row over their prematch huddles, one of which surrounded referee Paul Tierney in the center circle before a loss at Newcastle United in March. Sources told ESPN that the idea was not Rosenior’s, in fact coming from another staff member in agreement with the players, but he chose to defend it by awkwardly claiming his team needed to “respect the ball.”

The sight of Rosenior making notes on the touchline when 8-2 down on aggregate against Paris Saint-Germain was ridiculed by some Chelsea fans. Rosenior was constantly fighting to be taken seriously, but it is debatable whether the Chelsea dressing room ever fully stood behind him.

Lack of discipline

Rosenior won seven of his first nine games, including a comeback win at Napoli which secured their place in the Champions League round of 16. The two defeats came against Arsenal in the two-legged Carabao Cup semifinal, the second game of which Rosenior adopted a cautious approach that sources have told ESPN led some players to question his level of ambition.

Sources added that multiple players grew skeptical over Rosenior’s management over time. After conceding a 90th-minute equalizer to draw 1-1 at home against Burnley, Rosenior claimed a “marking assignment was missed” but then declined to name the player, leading to a social media witch hunt.

One source close to a first-team player told ESPN there was surprise Rosenior had adopted a halfway-house position: Either don’t mention the issue, or identify the player and resolve the problem quickly.

Team news began leaking. Information relating to Chelsea’s team for both legs of their Champions League knockout tie against PSG emerged hours before kickoff. Then, moments after they were eliminated 8-2 on aggregate by the European champions — the joint-heaviest European defeat in the club’s history — midfielder Enzo Fernández told ESPN he was unsure whether he would be at Chelsea next season.

During the March international break, Fernández talked up the possibility of living in Madrid, while teammate Marc Cucurella questioned the club’s decision to remove Maresca, saying: “If you asked me, I would not have made this decision.”

Although Cucurella also suggested Rosenior is “a very good person and has been great at handling the group,” the public doubt cast over both Maresca’s exit and the BlueCo policy of signing young players on long-term contracts enhanced the sense that this was a group not all pulling in the same direction.

Rosenior fined Fernández and banned him for two games — including a match against Manchester City. Sources told ESPN that more than one player questioned internally whether Fernández should be restored to the team against City, given the bigger picture of fighting for Champions League qualification. He was still left out, and Chelsea lost 3-0.

Sources have told ESPN that there were issues between Rosenior’s backroom staff and certain players. Wesley Fofana shrugged off assistant coach Justin Walker, who joined Chelsea with Rosenior in January, when trying to console the defender after he was substituted during Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Manchester United.

Discipline had long been an issue on the field. Chelsea have picked up nine red cards this season — more than any other Premier League side — but the gradual erosion of a working relationship behind the scenes led to Tuesday’s appalling display at Brighton. After that 3-0 defeat, Rosenior turned on the players for the first time, branding the performance “unacceptable”, “indefensible” and “unprofessional.”

Sources have told ESPN that the Chelsea hierarchy had hoped Rosenior would lead the team into next season even despite the recent downturn, but the breakdown in relations between players, management and fans essentially forced a change. Supporters chanted against BlueCo, Clearlake boss Behdad Eghbali and Rosenior at Brighton. Something had to give.

Is the BlueCo model to blame?

Sign top young players, sign them on long contracts, create an environment where they grow together and conquer the world. Oddly, Chelsea have done the last bit first.

It is easy to forget we are talking about the reigning FIFA Club World Cup champions and for a while under Maresca, there were signs that the Blue Co model was working. They were UEFA Conference League winners, qualified for the Champions League and world champions. But sources told ESPN that Maresca wanted greater influence in team affairs. And this is where BlueCo’s model has become stuck.

Five sporting directors sit below co-owner Eghbali and above the head coach, who receives technical feedback after every game and whose team selection is guided by an empowered medical department together with data analysts beefed up following BlueCo’s arrival. Recruitment is also a collaborative process, with the head coach just one voice of many.

Maresca arrived in the role with a brief stint at Parma, a coaching spell with Manchester City under Pep Guardiola and one Championship-winning season at Leicester City. He accepted the limited scope of Chelsea’s head coach role at the start, but friction grew internally by the end as he sought more control.

Maresca consequently left as a result of the breakdown in relations with the ownership. Rosenior, by contrast, lost the respect of everyone else.

Sources within Chelsea have told ESPN that they found it a difficult decision to replace Rosenior, who they believe conducted himself with professionalism throughout. Those sources denied that there was any breakdown in relationships, but instead results and performances had not met the expected standards and that acting now gave the team time to salvage the season. Sources have also told ESPN that a break clause existed in Rosenior’s contract and he will receive a small fraction of the £24 million payoff that had been reported elsewhere.

And so Chelsea’s owners begin their search for a sixth permanent head coach since they took over in 2022. Sources have told ESPN that no active discussions are taking place with any candidate at this time. Outgoing AFC Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, Fulham’s Marco Silva and former Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fàbregas, now at Como in Serie A, could emerge as possible contenders. The BlueCo model demands a promising head coach willing to accept a controlled environment, yet also someone with sufficient experience to command the respect of a talented group.

One unintended consequence of signing players to such long-term contracts is it places more vulnerability over the head coach’s position when things go wrong. But sources have told ESPN that BlueCo plan to modify their recruitment approach this summer to add more experience to the group with Tosin Adarabioyo the oldest first-team player aged 28.

Perhaps, then, there needs to be a similar tweak to the head coach role for Chelsea to truly thrive in future.