Chelsea’s next appointment could make or break the Blueco project

Videos came out of Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer doing interviews in which Rosenior popped in and had a laugh with them.

The mood was good, and the team was winning, despite a Carabao Cup exit to Arsenal. Chelsea lost 4-2 on aggregate in the semi-final, and inexplicably did not seem to go for the win they needed in the second leg.

The negative approach to the game angered many fans, and was followed by another loss to Arsenal a month later, this time in the league.

Chelsea had lost three times to Arsenal under Rosenior, and he had not even been in charge for two months.

But Rosenior’s project really went off the rails in the 5-2 defeat to PSG in the Champions League round of 16 first leg. The Blues played very well for 73 minutes, and looked as though they were leaving Paris with the game tied at 2-2 and it all to play for in the second leg.

But 16 minutes of madness at the end of the game saw Chelsea concede three times and the tie was done. A 3-0 battering in the second leg did little to help matters, and the aggregate score ended with an embarrassing 8-2 defeat.

Rosenior never recovered after that. The following game was a 3-0 loss to Everton, and Chelsea lost three of the next four. That included defeats to Manchester City, Manchester United and Brighton.

The only win in the last eight games of Rosenior’s reign was against Port Vale in the FA Cup.

Rosenior’s last game in charge, the 3-0 league defeat to Brighton, was by far Chelsea’s worst performance under his leadership.

It was one of the worst performances a Premier League side has displayed this season. Chelsea were outfought, outthought and outran.

Rosenior could have been sacked just for the performance and disastrous change of shape he attempted, but his criticism on the players after the game sealed his fate.

106 days was all he lasted. And now Chelsea are in a position where the next managerial appointment could make or break the project.

Fans are furious, and have protested twice in the last three months. Chelsea’s owners and sporting directors are being called out, and are in the spotlight for the club’s failures.

Chelsea’s next manager has to be someone who can command the respect of the players, and has top-level experience. And they need to sign experienced players in the summer transfer window. Otherwise there will no doubt be more protests to come.

Rosenior was never up for the job, but he is a symptom of the issue at Chelsea, rather than the cause.