Sections of Chelsea’s dressing room have been left confused by Liam Rosenior’s instructions and are losing faith in their manager, Daily Mail Sport understands.
Sources have disclosed that a growing group of players claim they do not understand what their under pressure boss is asking them to do, with the issue exacerbated by a tendency to change plans during matches.
The 41-year-old, who was only appointed in January, is under serious pressure following a run of five consecutive league defeats without a goal being scored, and it remains to be seen whether he will be in charge for this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final against Leeds United at Wembley.
With fans incandescent following Tuesday night’s abject 3-0 thumping at Brighton, Rosenior launched a stinging attack on his players.
‘Unacceptable in attitude,’ he said. ‘I keep coming out and defending the players – that’s indefensible.
‘That performance tonight, the manner of the goals we conceded, the amount of duels that we lost, the lack of intensity in the team. Something needs to change drastically right now.’
Chelsea’s 3-0 loss to Brighton on Tuesday was their lowest moment yet under Liam Rosenior, and many of their players have been confused by his methods behind the scenes
Blues supporters are also losing faith in the club’s management, with many fans protesting its BlueCo ownership before Saturday’s game against Manchester United
However, sources claim there is no issue with attitude and that the real problem lies in a breakdown in communication between the manager and the players.
‘Liam is a really nice guy and everyone wants him to succeed,’ one insider explained. ‘But the reality of the situation is that a lot of the players are struggling to figure out what he wants from them.
‘He’s intense and he overloads them with information, he does a lot of individual work on top of what he does with the group. It’s difficult for them to follow and it makes things worse when he changes those instructions during games.
‘Everyone is frustrated and they know that results should be better but they don’t feel like they understand what is being asked from them and they don’t feel like that situation is going to change.’
Chelsea are seventh, seven points adrift of Liverpool, in fifth, who have a game in hand.
Should co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali pull the trigger, they will find themselves seeking their fourth manager of the season.
Following the latest setback, Rosenior added: ‘The professionalism wasn’t there. It’s a really difficult night. The most difficult night not even just here, so far, at this magnificent football club, but in my career.
‘Some of the things I witnessed today, I never want to see again.’
‘Liam is a really nice guy and everyone wants him to succeed,’ says one insider of Rosenior. ‘But a lot of the players are struggling to figure out what he wants from them’
‘He’s intense and he overloads them with information… it’s difficult for them to follow and it makes things worse when he changes those instructions during games’
The defeat was a seventh loss in eight games across all competitions, with Chelsea having won only one of those outings, against League One Port Vale.
Some have sympathy for former Hull City boss Rosenior, who was headed to Stamford Bridge from Strasbourg, who share the same ownership.
They point out that he had little choice other than to accept the job and that none of the players he has been tasked with working with were brought to the club on his watch.
