Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel is not happy with the club’s turbulent form under boss Liam Rosenior
John Obi Mikel has launched an astonishing attack on Liam Rosenior – by claiming he is controlled by Chelsea’s owners.
The former Blues midfielder has not been afraid to say how he really feels about his old side, who have slumped to four straight defeats in all competitions.
Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, Mikel questioned Rosenior’s mannerisms and whether he is the right man to lead Chelsea forward.
He said: “There’s something that is not quite right with his appointment. He’s trying to speak in a certain way. He comes in press conferences, he’s enforcing his authority by force. He wants to do it but it’s not natural.
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“Every time I see him speak, it’s like he’s saying, ‘oh my team, oh my players, oh the way, I want to see my players’. You don’t do that. It’s like you’re trying to force yourself with the authority, you want to say, ‘Okay, this is me. I want to have control’. We all know you don’t have control.
“We all know you’re being controlled by the owners and they tell you what to do. So when he comes out in press conferences and makes this statement ‘oh my players, my team’ – you’ve only been there five minutes mate, so stop saying that, act normal, act natural and try and create some chemistry with you team.
“We were dumped out of the Champions League in a disgraceful manner and you follow that up and go to Everton and lose 3-0.
“I watched the game, it was awful to watch, ridiculous. They were all over us and played like they were PSG.”
In the past few weeks, Enzo Fernandez has plunged his long-term Chelsea future into doubt while left-back Marc Cucurella has suggested it was a mistake to fire Enzo Maresca.
Cucurella also talked up the possibility of a return to Spain which feels particularly unhelpful for the Blues at this moment as they seek to get their season back on track.
They’re in sixth place in the Premier League standings and also host Port Vale on Saturday in the FA Cup quarter-finals as they seek to book a semi-final at Wembley.
Rosenior is expected to retain the backing of the Chelsea board this summer, even if he does not secure Champions League qualification.
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