The main talking points from Stamford Bridge on yet another disappointing evening for Liam Rosenior’s broken Chelsea side
There’s no question about it, this Chelsea side is broken at the moment. No end product in the final third, a defence susceptible to making mistakes, a head coach feeling cursed and a disjointed fan base.
Saturday evening was a massive one for Chelsea. It started with an estimated 500 supporters, though the number seemed considerably higher, marching along Fulham Road on their way to Stamford Bridge to protest against the club’s ownership. It was an enormous improvement on January’s underwhelming protest, with Strasbourg fans joining forces this time around to voice their discontent at BlueCo for their controversial operation.
There was a concern that the pre-match march would transmit into the stadium and have an effect on the Chelsea players for a huge Premier League showdown with Manchester United. It’s hard to measure whether it actually did, but the flat atmosphere matched the lack of intensity in the Blues side.
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Liam Rosenior rushed down the tunnel after last weekend’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, instead of taking his time to applaud the home supporters, but this time, he stuck around post-match. The under-fire Chelsea head coach went to show his appreciation to the fans but he was met with an unforgiving response.
Some supporters booed Rosenior when he made his way over to them, while others hurled abuse at the 41-year-old, who was dejected in his post-match press conference. Six defeats in seven matches will do that to you.
This Chelsea side is broken at the moment and it is Rosenior’s job to somehow try and fix it. Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella recently came under scrutiny for their comments about the club, both hinting at moves away in the summer transfer window.
It’s hard to interpret exactly what Cole Palmer meant in his pre-match comments, but Chelsea’s No.10 might have poured more fuel onto the fire. Speaking to TNT Sports before Saturday night’s game, Palmer, who has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge, said: “Hopefully [I can achieve my ambitions at Chelsea]. I believe in the club, they spoke to us as players.
“Hopefully I, and we, can win a lot at Chelsea. If we’re not in the Champions League, everything changes. We need to finish in the Champions League.”
Many interpreted Palmer’s comments to mean he could be off if the Blues are unable to secure a top-five finish this season to confirm their place among Europe’s elite next term. The 23-year-old, though, could have also meant it will be more difficult for the club to attract elite talent without the lure of Champions League football.
Either way, it signified the necessity for Chelsea to get over the line. To do that, though, there is a huge mountain to climb, especially if Liverpool win in the Merseyside Derby this afternoon (Sunday).
Asked about how big of a blow Saturday’s loss was for Chelsea in their Europe bid, Rosenior said: “It gives us a mountain to climb. It’s not insurmountable but it gives us a mountain to climb and we have to go into the Brighton game with an idea that we have to win that game and kick-start the rest of our season.”
When asked about the repercussions of missing out on the Champions League and whether it will prevent the club from buying ‘ready-made’ players, the head coach replied: “The honest answer is I don’t know. The honest answer is we’re still fighting and we’ll address that situation at the end of the season, whatever the situation is.”
football.london understands Chelsea are looking to bring in more ‘Premier League proven’ players in the upcoming summer transfer window. BlueCo’s transfer model since they bought the club almost four years ago has been youth-focused and while that will not be completely eradicated, there will be a slight tweak this summer.
The likes of Fernandez, Palmer and Cucurella are considered elite footballers and there is no doubt they will be desperate to be playing in club football’s biggest competition. Whether missing out on Champions League football would see them request to leave remains to be seen, but Fernandez’s comments – in particular – recently suggest he might already be speaking with his agent behind the scenes.
Chelsea have been boosted by Reece James and Moises Caicedo both committing their futures to the club in recent weeks and Levi Colwill is expected to follow suit soon. The Blues want to build their team around these footballers, as well as the likes of Palmer, Fernandez and Cucurella.
There will be more than half an eye on the Hill Dickinson Stadium this afternoon as Chelsea pray Everton can do them a favour. A win for the Toffees, though, takes them above the Blues. Chelsea are looking forward in their race for European football, but equally, there is a queue of clubs behind them looking to pounce.
Missing out on Champions League football would be awful for Chelsea. Missing out on European football altogether would be genuinely horrendous.
Their current form projects Chelsea for just that. A trip to Brighton on Tuesday has quickly become the Blues’ biggest match of the season.
