Before the match against Manchester City last weekend, coach Liam Rosenior quickly emphasized that Chelsea is ranked fourth in the Premier League table since he was appointed.
Perhaps at this time, he should not look at the rankings. The 0-3 defeat right at Stamford Bridge caused Chelsea to drop 5 places to 9th place (calculated during Rosenior's time in charge). This is already the third consecutive defeat in the Premier League that they have not scored a single goal, thereby pushing pressure on the English strategist's shoulders to be increasingly high.
If including the heavy defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League round of 16, Chelsea has lost 5 of their last 6 matches in all competitions. In the context of the top 5 race becoming increasingly fierce, the question is whether Chelsea is regressing under Rosenior?
Rosenior's start was once very promising. Chelsea won all 4 of their first Premier League matches against Brentford, Crystal Palace, West Ham and Wolves. However, since then, they have only won one more match in the next seven appearances.
Chelsea's unbeaten streak at the tournament was ended by Arsenal on March 1st, after the "Gunners" also eliminated them in the Carabao Cup semi-finals. The gap in level between Chelsea and top teams is increasingly clear, especially after defeats against PSG and Man City.
Despite having notable away wins against Napoli and Aston Villa, the defeat against Man City made the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge heavy. Fans have reason to be pessimistic before the upcoming confrontation with Man United.
In fact, Rosenior's task is to bring Chelsea back on track after a period of instability under Enzo Maresca. However, after three months, what he has done is not really different.
The Blues averaged 1.54 points/match in the Premier League under Rosenior - just slightly higher than the previous 1.48. This is still the third lowest score for a Chelsea coach since 2004, and clearly not enough to guarantee a Champions League spot.
If they maintain this form, Chelsea may only end the season with about 57 points - a number that is difficult to compete for the top 5, and may even risk falling further if they do not improve their performance in the final stage.
After the recent defeat, Rosenior reiterated that even top coaches like Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp need time to build the team. However, Chelsea fans do not have much patience.
The young, inexperienced and individualistic squad is the legacy he must take over. Besides, the dense schedule after the FIFA Club World Cup last summer made Chelsea the team with the most matches played in the Premier League in the last two seasons.
However, psychological and disciplinary issues have not improved. Chelsea once dropped 15 points from the lead under Maresca, and this situation continued to recur under Rosenior.
The collapses against Leeds, Burnley, Everton or PSG show a fragile Chelsea. The consecutive red cards of Wesley Fofana and Pedro Neto made the situation even worse. Since Rosenior took over, Chelsea has been the team receiving the most yellow cards in the league.
Not only that, off-field issues - such as Enzo Fernandez's internal suspension - further reflect the lack of discipline in the squad. However, there are still some positive signs. According to statistics, Chelsea's expected goal difference (xG) in the Rosenior period is among the highest in the league, only behind Arsenal. This shows that they created more chances than the actual results.
However, football is still decided by results. And with three consecutive defeats without scoring, plus a heavy defeat to PSG, Rosenior will have to do a lot to prove that he is the right person for Chelsea's future.
