Liam Rosenior says he has the full backing of Chelsea’s ownership despite a run of four consecutive Premier League defeats without a single goal, as the Blues’ hopes of Champions League qualification grow increasingly fragile.
Matheus Cunha’s first-half strike on Saturday earned Manchester United a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge, leaving Chelsea seven points behind Liverpool in the race for the top five, with only five games remaining.
Asked directly whether he feels supported from within the club, Rosenior said: “100%. They’ve been supportive of me in our daily conversations, the sporting directors involved – they’ve been magnificent in their support of me and the team. We’re relying on them. We know we need to win games of football in the now.”
Last week, co-owner Behdad Eghbali publicly backed his manager, saying the club believe he “can be successful long term” while adding that Chelsea would “tweak the plan if it’s not working” and target more experienced players this summer after building the youngest squad in the Premier League.
Rosenior acknowledged the pressure but kept the focus on the club’s long-term direction.
“He wants consistent trophies and consistent success for this club. That’s what we’ve spoken about — in the now, in the summer and how we build. We’re all very clear on what we need to do, what we want to do and what we have to do to get this club back to where it should be.”
Fofana apologises after touchline incident
Saturday’s loss brought further unwanted attention when footage circulated on social media of Wesley Fofana appearing to brush off attempts by first-team coach Justin Walker to speak to him at the final whistle. Rosenior moved quickly to draw a line under the episode.
“I’ve spoken to him about it and he’s just disappointed that we’re losing the game,” the Chelsea head coach said. “I do think he could have shown that emotion in a better way and that’s something I’ve spoken to him about, but the optics are not the reality.
“The reality is I’ve got a really good group. Wes apologised for his reaction, but these are young players who are going to make mistakes.”
Rosenior confirmed Fofana would not miss Tuesday’s trip to Brighton as a result of the incident.
Injuries add to Chelsea’s problems
Chelsea dominated the game in terms of possession and attempts but could not find a way through, with the result continuing a deeply damaging run at exactly the wrong point of the season.
Rosenior will be without Estevao for the Brighton trip after the Brazilian came off with a hamstring injury on Saturday.
Joao Pedro also remains a doubt and will undergo a late fitness test. Levi Colwill, returning from a long-term knee injury, played in a behind-closed-doors fixture on Friday but is not yet available for first-team selection and is set for further minutes with the Under-21 side at the weekend.
Cunha’s goal came from Bruno Fernandes’ pull-back, the Portuguese midfielder registering his 18th assist of the season Manchester United – two away from the all-time Premier League record jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
