Liam Rosenior saw his new Chelsea side lose 2-1 to Fulham with 10 men and realized the scale of the task he was dealing with…
Chelsea have big problems with discipline
Rosenior will have seen firsthand a major problem in this Chelsea team: a lack of discipline.
Marc Cucurella’s red card couldn’t have been more blatant (whether the foul continued into the penalty area and should have been a spot kick is another discussion).
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Mark Cucurella shown red card at Craven Cottage
This is Chelsea’s seventh red card in all competitions, four more than any other team in the Premier League. With almost half the season remaining, they are now just one away from the Premier League record of six.
Caretaker manager Callum McFarlane subsequently insisted the sending off was not an example of breach of discipline, but admitted a string of yellow cards that followed may be a consideration.
Rosenior has spoken of wanting intensity from his team, but Chelsea have crossed the line numerous times this season. And it costs them money. This is the third Premier League game this season that Chelsea have lost due to a red card, but this is before the impact of red suspensions and cumulative yellows is analyzed.
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Free to watch: Highlights of the Premier League match between Chelsea and Fulham
The team’s form is worrying
“Chelsea are based on winning,” Rosenior told Sky Sports before the game against Fulham. But this is a Chelsea team, with just one win in their last nine games.
Fulham fought valiantly with 10 men, but it was a shocking result for a team with such lofty ambitions. It highlights just how big a job this young coach has.
He will have chances in the first two cup games, against Charlton in the FA Cup and against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final. But getting through the Premier League and qualifying for the Champions League is essential and Rosenior, who missed out on a chance to finish fourth on Wednesday night, must get Chelsea back on track quickly to achieve that goal.
fans are not happy
Rosenior will have heard clearly the complaints of the club’s supporters at Craven Cottage. During the match, including after Delap’s equalizer, the traveling fans chanted at the club’s owners, expressing their dissatisfaction with Behada Egbali in particular.
“We don’t care about Clear Lake. They don’t care about us,” he repeated, praising former owner Roman Abramovich.
Rosenior needs a change of pace on and off the pitch.
off the mark
Liam Delap celebrates after scoring Chelsea’s equalizer at Craven Cottage
Liam Delap could hardly have scored his first Premier League goal for Chelsea at a better time, with Roseniol having to find ways to get the most out of him and João Pedro.
Delap has struggled with injury problems since joining from Ipswich and has been a culprit in the team’s poor discipline, being sent off for two harsh yellow cards in the Carabao Cup.
“It’s been a difficult start for me,” he told Sky Sports after the defeat against Fulham. “I find it difficult to sharpen.”
A good save from Bern Leno in the second half made it look like his first league goal was still on the cards, but the striker pounced on to equalize. He’s one of the few centre-backs, but he needs to score goals.
Will this be the start of a hot streak? That is for Rosenior to decide.
palmer problem
One of MacFarlane’s final acts as Chelsea’s interim head coach was to install Cole Palmer on the right wing.
It was his second start in that position this season, scoring in the Champions League match against Bayern Munich, but he played just six games there last season.
Macfarlane preferred Enzo Fernandes in the number 10 role at Fulham, but Enzo Maresca did the same and played Joao Pedro while Palmer was out injured this season.
Like Delap, Palmer has had a stop-start season, with his numbers declining over the past 12 months. He played in 42 games and contributed 17 goals in 2025, compared to 33 goals in 34 games the year before.
Palmer has gone cold – Rosenia needs to be rekindled.
