Chelsea Under Pressure to Sack Liam Rosenior After Fifth Straight Defeat
Chelsea have been advised to sack manager Liam Rosenior following their latest defeat to Premier League rivals Manchester City. Rosenior's side held title-chasing Manchester City at bay in the first half of Sunday's clash at Stamford Bridge but conceded three second-half goals, marking their fifth consecutive loss.
Manchester City Dominates Second Half at Stamford Bridge
City's Carabao Cup final hero Nico O'Reilly broke the deadlock with a header shortly after the restart. Marc Guehi then doubled the visitors' lead with a crisp finish, and the lively Jeremy Doku added a third for Manchester City. This result closed the gap to Premier League leaders Arsenal to just six points, following the Gunners' defeat at home to Bournemouth earlier in the weekend.
Rosenior's Tenure Starts Promisingly but Falters
Chelsea enjoyed a promising start to Rosenior's tenure after he replaced Enzo Maresca in the Stamford Bridge hot-seat. However, the Blues were embarrassed by PSG in the Champions League before the international break, and just one win in their last seven games has seen them slip to sixth in the Premier League. Chelsea are now four points behind fifth-placed Liverpool and seven points outside the top-four places with six league games remaining.
Marco Materazzi Urges Chelsea to Hire Cesc Fabregas
While the Stamford Bridge hierarchy are willing to give Rosenior more time to turn things around in west London, World Cup winner Marco Materazzi believes they have to make a change. Materazzi even urged Chelsea to attempt to hire Premier League legend Cesc Fabregas, who has impressed during his first managerial role at Italian side Como.
Fabregas won two Premier League titles at Chelsea as a player after breaking through at London rivals Arsenal and also enjoying a successful spell at Barcelona. I was at Chelsea's game against Everton [a 3-0 defeat on March 21], Materazzi told Hajper. With Enzo Maresca, they were a totally different team. What I saw in Liverpool was an easy game for Everton. Chelsea did not impress me.
I think they have to change. They are a young team and I don't know if they have the best manager for what Chelsea need right now. They have to try for Cesc Fabregas this summer. I love the job he is doing right now in Como. I don't know if he will move because he wants to take Como to the Champions League but I can see Chelsea in the future for Fabregas.
Why not? Chelsea are the best club for Cesc Fabregas because they have young players who will follow his words immediately.
Rosenior's Frustration After Manchester City Defeat
Rosenior cut a frustrated figure after Chelsea's latest setback against Manchester City. We weren't good enough in the second half, the former Premier League star said. We didn't start well. We had moments to clear the box and keep the ball, but we didn't. They were camped in our half for the first five minutes and then we concede a goal.
Then it's a similar story for the past month now in terms of dealing with setbacks. If you go down against teams as good as this, what you have to do for the next five minutes is to stay in the game. It ended up being a really, really difficult second half.
Chelsea Look to Bounce Back Against Manchester United
Chelsea will look to get back to winning ways next Saturday when they welcome Manchester United to Stamford Bridge. The pressure is mounting on Rosenior as the club faces crucial decisions in the coming weeks to salvage their season and secure a top-four finish.
