04/22/26 12:03:00
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04/22 12:01 CDT Liam Rosenior fired as Chelsea manager after dreadful run and
less than 4 months in job
Liam Rosenior fired as Chelsea manager after dreadful run and less than 4
months in job
By JAMES ROBSON
AP Soccer Writer
Liam Rosenior has been fired as Chelsea manager after a desperate Premier
League run of five losses without scoring a goal.
Chelsea confirmed his departure on Wednesday, less than four months into the
job and just four days before it plays in an FA Cup semifinal at Wembley.
Assistant Calum McFarlane will take charge on an interim basis until the end of
the season.
"This has not been a decision the club has taken lightly, however recent
results and performances have fallen below the necessary standards with still
so much more to play for this season," Chelsea said in a statement.
The team that won the Club World Cup last year now looks likely to miss out on
next season's Champions League. That would mean a huge financial hit for a club
that has spent billions of dollars under U.S. owners Clearlake Capital and Todd
Boehly.
The five-game losing streak is its worst since 1912 --- the same year the
Titanic sank.
Tuesday's 3-0 defeat to Brighton proved the last straw for Rosenior, an
inexperienced coach at the highest level who was hired from Chelsea's sister
club Strasbourg in January. It was a seventh loss in eight games in all
competitions.
Chelsea has won one of its last nine in the league, is seventh in the standings
and seven points adrift of the top five, who all qualify for the Champions
League.
Rosenior, 41, turned on his players following the Brighton match, saying the
performance was "indefensible" and that "something needs to change drastically."
The club's hierarchy clearly agreed, despite saying Rosenior had "always
conducted himself with the highest integrity and professionalism".
Rosenior replaced Club World Cup-winning coach Enzo Maresca in January and only
took charge of 23 games.
He started impressively with a run of six wins in seven games, but things
unravelled quickly in recent weeks, including elimination from the Champions
League at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.
His tenure was brought to an end despite Chelsea preparing for its FA Cup
semifinal against Leeds on Sunday.
Rosenior becomes the fifth permanent manager to lose his job since Clearlake
and Boehly bought one of English soccer's most storied clubs in 2022. Now the
search is on for a sixth to try to bring sustained success.
"As the club works to bring stability to the head coach position, we will
undertake a process of self-reflection to make the right long-term
appointment," Chelsea said.
Rosenior's departure comes after fans of the two-time Champions League winner
and six-time English champion began to protest against the U.S. owners.
While there have been trophies, the Club World Cup and Europa Conference League
last season, this could be the third campaign out of four in which it has
failed to qualify for the Champions League.
Under former owner Roman Abramovich, Chelsea was one of the most dominant teams
in Europe, winning a full set of trophies, including two Champions Leagues and
five Premier League titles.
It last won the Champions League in 2021, the year before Abramovich was forced
to sell the club after being sanctioned by the British government in the wake
of Russia's war with Ukraine.
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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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