Chelsea started their season with excitement and confidence after winning the Club World Cup in the summer. They convincingly defeated Paris Saint-Germain in the final. Cole Palmer had two goals and an assist in that game and was looking like a Ballon d’Or contender coming out of the tournament.
The Blues started their campaign as possible title contenders but by the time December came along, they found themselves struggling. The Enzo Maresca-led Chelsea side picked up only two victories in eight matches during the final month of 2025.
Maresca subsequently got sacked on the first day of January as the Italian manager’s relationship with the ownership seemingly had reportedly gone south behind the scenes. Liam Rosenior got appointed as the Blues’ new manager as he was brought in from sister club Strasbourg.
Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea stint so far
Rosenior started his Chelsea spell brilliantly as they defeated Charlton 5-1 in the FA Cup third round. He won his first four games in charge in the Premier League. That made the fans dream of a major turnaround. But unfortunately for the Stamford Bridge faithful, the club is now back to square one. Perhaps even further back.
The Blues are currently seven points adrift of fifth-placed Liverpool as they sit sixth in the Premier League table. And based on form, they could soon find themselves outside the top 10.
Fingers are already being pointed at the ownership and Rosenior alike as the Blues’ chances of playing in the Champions League next season are fading away. But who is to blame for their troubles?
Alan Shearer replies on who to blame for Chelsea’s failures
Amidst all this, English legend Alan Shearer gave his verdict on the current situation at the Bridge under Rosenior, when asked about who to blame for the Blues’ recent failures. He said on NBC Sports (via The Chelsea Chronicle):
“A bit of both. I think the system Chelsea have adopted and chosen to do is very difficult for whoever goes in there. We’ve seen many managers go in there and struggle. He’s doing the same.
“It’s difficult to get young players and get them to compete, week after week, and then try to turn it into a huge profit. That’s a difficult job for any manager, let alone a young manager. I blame a bit of both.”
The former Newcastle man might just have perfectly defined the flaws within the club. The Blues currently look like a house of cards rather than a solid structure in the making. The chances of Rosenior’s long-term contract getting terminated at the end of this season keep growing higher with every passing matchday.
Now the Blues’ only practical hope of winning a trophy this season lies in the FA Cup. They are scheduled to take on Leeds United in the semifinals of the competition. But with Man City still on the other side of the bracket, even that is improbable for a team with no wins in their last six games against top division opponents. Even getting past the Peacocks will be a tall task at this point.
Rosenior and his men showed glimpses of quality during their game against Manchester United but had no luck. They hit the crossbar four times during the course of the game. But unfortunately, they failed to score past Senne Lammens as the Blues have now lost four consecutive games in the Premier League without scoring a goal. In the process, they have matched a low which they previously recorded back in 1998.
