Chelsea have parted ways with manager Liam Rosenior – just 107 days after he took over.
Callum MacFarlane will lead his team to Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Leeds at Wembley and will remain as interim head coach until the end of the season. McFarlane played in the same role in two games earlier this season, in the 1-1 draw against Manchester City and the 2-1 defeat at Fulham, in which Enzo Maresca left.
Chelsea are yet to speak to any candidates for the permanent position and no shortlist has been drawn up. In a statement, the club said: “We will undertake a process of reflection to ensure we make the appropriate long-term appointment.”
Rosenior was surprise appointed to replace Maresca in January, but his reign was cut short after just four months with seven defeats in his last eight games.
Rosenior had signed a six-year contract with Chelsea when he moved from Strasbourg, which is part of Chelsea’s parent company Blueco. However, there were calls for his sacking from Chelsea fans during and after Tuesday night’s game against Brighton.
They have lost five games in a row in the Premier League, putting their qualification for next season’s Champions League in jeopardy. Chelsea failed to score in any of these five league defeats, their worst record for scoreless league defeats since 1912.
Rosenior leaves Chelsea in seventh place in the Premier League, seven points behind fifth-placed Liverpool, who have a game in hand. Maresca left Chelsea in fifth place, but by the time Rosenior took over from interim manager MacFarlane, Chelsea had fallen to eighth.
Sky Sports News understands that reports that Chelsea will have to pay Rosenior a significant amount of compensation are not accurate. It is believed that Rosenior’s contract included a break clause.
The 41-year-old apologized to the fans who visited Brighton at full time, but slammed the players’ performance as “indefensible,” “unacceptable” and “unprofessional.”
During his time in charge, Rosseniol also oversaw the Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to Arsenal and the Champions League last-16 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain 8-2 on aggregate.
However, he scored wins over Championship sides Charlton, Hull City and Wrexham (on penalties) in the FA Cup, as well as a 7-0 win over League One bottom side Port Vale in the FA Cup semi-final against Leeds on Sunday.
Chelsea said in a statement: “Chelsea Football Club has today parted ways with head coach Liam Rosenior.
“On behalf of everyone at Chelsea FC, I would like to thank Liam and his staff for all their efforts during his time at the club.
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Liam Rosenior joins players in apologizing to fans after Chelsea lose their fifth straight Premier League game to Brighton
“Since Liam took over mid-season, he has always conducted himself with the utmost integrity and professionalism.
“This is not a decision taken by the club lightly, but recent results and performances have been below the required standard and there is still much to play for this season. Everyone at Chelsea FC wishes Liam all the best in his future endeavors.”
“Callum MacFarlane will lead the team as interim head coach until the end of the season, supported by the club’s existing backroom staff, as they aim to qualify for Europe and progress in the FA Cup.
“As the club works to stabilize the head coaching position, we will embark on a reflective process to make a suitable long-term appointment.”
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Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has reacted to Chelsea’s decision to part ways with head coach Liam Rosenior.
Who will be Chelsea’s next manager?
Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:
Chelsea will take their time to make the right personnel. They have not yet spoken to any candidates and no shortlist has been drawn up.
However, Andoni Iraola, Oliver Glasner and Xabi Alonso are all available.
Marco Silva (if he leaves Fulham) and Cesc Fabregas could also be named in the slot.
Chelsea have previously held talks with the likes of Luis Enrique, Julian Nagelsmann, Roberto De Zerbi and Hansi Flick when the top spot became available.
It remains to be seen whether elite-level managers are willing to work with the structure currently in place at the club.
Rosseniol’s contract runs until 2032, but Chelsea do not have to pay him the full amount. As is common in contracts, there is a break clause. A settlement would be fair to him and the club.
Rosenior furious after performance against Brighton
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Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior has insisted his side’s 3-0 loss to Brighton in the Premier League was an “unacceptable” performance and told his players he never wanted to see it like that again.
Liam Rosenior told Sky Sports after Chelsea lost 3-0 to Brighton on Tuesday.
“That was unacceptable in every aspect of the game. I came out and continued to protect my players, but that performance tonight was inexcusable. The way we conceded the goals, the games we lost. Something has to change dramatically here and now.”
“You have to look in the mirror. You have to look in the mirror. But you can’t come out here and keep defending what you see. Manchester United, we didn’t really get the result, but we felt we had turned a corner.”
“But there was a general lack of attitude, a lack of spirit. There was a lack of determination from three or four of the starting 11. This club can’t come close. I can’t go out there and lie. I’ll tell you the truth. That was an unacceptable performance on every level.”
Merson: “Rosenior have lost fans and players”
Paul Merson of Sky Sports:
“When you’re sacked as a manager, there are two reasons: either the fans are on your side or the players aren’t running for you.
“This is a double bubble. And he knows it in his post-game interview. He’s taken responsibility and has been rooting for the players. Tuesday was a sign that he knows he’s in big trouble and needs to correct himself.”
“Fair play, he told the truth. The players threw him under the bus and he did the same.
“There’s no way he can get a deal where he gets paid the rest of his salary. I would be shocked. If they think a manager who has never managed at the top level can come in and be hugely successful right away, that worries me more than anything. That’s not happening.”
Read Paul Merson’s comments slamming Chelsea players for their performance at Brighton
Analysis: Chelsea bosses made a mistake in appointing Rosenior
Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:
“They’ll throw up their hands and say we were wrong, but that’s definitely the case in this case. It’s not just on the surface, this has been a terrible season for Chelsea. This was supposed to be their season to start, building on last season’s two trophies and their return to the Champions League.”
“They took a step back. The reason they took a step back was because Enzo Maresca left. He wasn’t fired, he just didn’t want to be there anymore. He felt, for various reasons, that his relationships with the people he worked for were irreparably broken.”
“The big mistake they made was bringing in Liam Rosenior because they had established this multi-club model and thought he would have a smooth transition. But you saw the proof last night. He doesn’t have enough experience to be the manager of a big club like Chelsea.”
“I want to give credit to the owners here. They realized that and made the decision quickly. If Liam Rosenior had stayed, I don’t think anything would have been different. You can see from yesterday’s performance and his comments afterwards that this cannot continue.”
Terrible statistics behind Brighton’s defeat
Brighton beat Chelsea by 7km
According to Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz…
The Blues’ lack of fight was also seen in duels.
It took Chelsea players 32 minutes to complete the first tackle of the game. By halftime, 10 of 11 starters had not made a single shot.
Chelsea rank bottom in terms of distance run per game.
Chelsea have been put ahead in 34 out of 34 games by all of their Premier League opponents, so it was no surprise that they were limp off the ball.
But the headlines are under attack. Not scoring in four games in the Premier League is bad enough, but what about not even having a shot on target in the fifth game?
The underlying data is even worse than just “no shots on target.” Their expected goals (xG) of 0.04 in the first half is lower than Enzo Maresca’s tally in 114 first-half Premier League games as Chelsea manager, which shows how far they have fallen.
Click here for details…
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Tim Sherwood says Chelsea players keep throwing their manager under the bus
Chelsea’s next 5 games
26 April Leeds (N) – FA Cup 4 May: Nottingham Forest (H) – Live on Sky Sports 9 May: Liverpool (A) – Premier League 17 May: Tottenham (H) – Premier League 25 April: Sunderland (A) – Premier League
