It has been a difficult few months for Chelsea. Calum McFarlane finally gave the fans something to celebrate on Sunday, but before the win, Steven Gerrard had a rant in defence of Liam Rosenior.
In what was his second interim spell as manager, McFarlane guided Chelsea to a 1-0 win over Leeds at Wembley as Enzo Fernández scored the only goal of the game. Rosenior was sacked a few days prior.
Chelsea needed it. The Blues had lost seven of their last eight games, the only anomaly being a 7-0 win over Port Vale. Something needed to change, and ultimately, the buck stops with the manager.
Chelsea have absolutely dominated Leeds! What has Calum McFarlane done differently to Liam Rosenior? 🤔
Rosenior was sacked even if the blame lies elsewhere. The former Hull and Strasbourg man might not have been the right man for the job; it might have been a big job too soon. But it wasn’t all his fault.
Indeed, the Chelsea hierarchy are to blame in the long run for the mess that is Chelsea’s 2025-26 season, while the players need to step up and be counted. Gerrard called out Chelsea’s players before the win.
Steven Gerrard’s rant on Chelsea’s underperforming players
Speaking on TNT Sports before kick-off, Liverpool icon and FA Cup winner Gerrard went on a rant, blaming Chelsea’s players and hierarchy for a lack of identity. He also defended manager Rosenior.
“You can never trust them again. Saying stuff like that and sacking the manager six days later. I think a lot of players have hidden behind the owners, and a manager losing his job,” Gerrard said on TNT Sports.
“Chelsea have so many good players, but where’s the identity, the fight, the spirit? When I played against Chelsea and Joe [Cole] won’t say this because he’s humble. But the Drogbas, the Lampards, the Terrys.
“You’d come off the pitch and knew you were in a game. None of them hid behind the owners. Go and play for your badge and supporters; they’re not doing that enough,” Gerrard continued, in his rant.
“The Chelsea team I played against, there was an identity and fight. That’s gone. If you want to blame Liam Rosenior for that, fine – but not for me,” he summarised, sharing his stance on Rosenior.
Liam Rosenior was to blame, but only in the short-term
It’s hardly his fault. Chelsea’s hierarchy has become synonymous with bad decisions, and throwing an inexperienced manager like Rosenior into the hot seat was clearly a poor decision; he is not ready.
Rosenior is a top coach. But he is at the beginning of his managerial career and needs to build himself up to a job like Chelsea, instead of being thrown under the bus. It is easy to be sympathetic for Rosenior.
Chelsea’s player ratings v Leeds: Do YOU agree?
Gusto and Sanchez excellent!
He made mistakes: banning Fernandez, continually starting Wesley Fofana, and letting standards slip. A more experienced Rosenior wouldn’t make those mistakes. In the short-term, he did get things wrong.
But in terms of Chelsea slipping away from being title challengers, that’s on the Blues hierarchy. It is quite clear that there is a lack of footballing knowledge upstairs at Chelsea, and that needs to change quickly.
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