Liam Rosenior has rejected suggestions that Chelsea’s players aren’t putting in enough effort for him after an abject 3-0 defeat away to Everton.
In the space of 10 days Chelsea have been dumped out of the Champions League over two legs by Paris Saint-Germain, lost at home to Newcastle United and were thumped on Merseyside in a huge dent to their hopes of securing a top-five finish.
In that timeframe, in which Chelsea have lost four games by a 12-2 aggregate, there were also comments from Enzo Fernandez which revealed disillusionment in the dressing room over Enzo Maresca’s sacking and the absence of the ‘identity, structure and direction’ he presented.
As fans turned on Rosenior and his players at the final whistle, the Chelsea boss believes players are still bought in to his ideas and demands.
‘For me, I don’t think there’s a lack of effort. I don’t think there’s a lack of belief or determination in the team,’ Rosenior said.
‘In fact, I felt like Enzo [Fernandez] kept going until the very, very last minute today.
Liam Rosenior is pictured on the pitch while his players look dejected as they applaud their fans
‘So, I’m aware when you’re on a run of defeats that we’re on, and when you’re on a run of performances that we’ve had, those things get levelled at you. But I don’t think that’s the issue in this moment.’
Furious fans let Rosenior know their thoughts at the final whistle – many away fans had left by then – and the Chelsea manager admitted he is ‘hurting’ as much as they are at how the season is unravelling.
‘They pay their money, they love this club and they’ve come a long way,’ he added.
‘It’s a disappointing time for the club at the moment in terms of the way we lost in the Champions League and the way we’ve lost the last two games. My job, it hurts.
‘Regardless of your [league] position, it hurts to lose games of football.
‘In terms of moving forward and having this time is to look at the bigger picture. We’re one point away from the Champions League position. We need to keep working in this way.
‘We need to keep giving the players as much confidence as possible and hopefully this break of games now for us comes at a really good moment.’
For Everton, this was a statement night in their new home and a win that boss David Moyes felt was thoroughly deserved as they go within two points of Rosenior’s side.
‘I thought it was our best performance from the first minute right on. I thought we did a really good job,’ Moyes said.
‘It was a brilliant atmosphere inside the stadium and it was more like Goodison Park than any other game.
‘For Everton to even be in the mix for Europe is unbelievable, whether it’s the Conference League or Champions League. It would be amazing. This time last year we were just beginning to edge away from relegation and had a lot of money to pay off, new ownership, and 10 or 12 out of contract. To be in this position now is great.’
