Chelsea's stance on sacking beleaguered Liam Rosenior revealed in wake of Everton defeat

Carabao Cup & Champions League exits: Pressure on Rosenior

Rosenior was handed the managerial reins in west London on January 8. He was appointed as successor to Enzo Maresca - who had overseen Conference League and Club World Cup triumphs during his tenure.

Chelsea turned to a manager who boasts no experience of coaching in the English top flight, with an element of risk involved when luring ex-Derby and Hull City boss Rosenior away from French sister club Strasbourg.

The 41-year-old is considered to be a forward-thinking and adaptable tactician, as he introduces methods that can raise the odd eyebrow, but knows that he will ultimately be judged on results. Chelsea remain in the hunt for FA Cup glory having reached the quarter-final stage of that competition. They did, however, suffer Carabao Cup semi-final heartache against Arsenal and crashed out of the Champions League courtesy of a heavy 8-2 aggregate defeat to reigning kings of Europe, Paris Saint-Germain.

Chelsea constantly changing their starting XI while bring outrun

The Blues have failed to find the target in their last three fixtures, having drawn a blank against Newcastle, PSG and Everton. A 3-0 reversal at Hill Dickinson Stadium last time out led to boos ringing out from the away end.

Inevitable questions are being asked about how long Rosenior will be given to get things right, with Chelsea having never been afraid to make changes in their dugout. They are under scrutiny this season after tinkering with their starting XI on a weekly basis and being outrun by every opponent that they have faced in the Premier League.

Does Rosenior face the threat of being sacked at Chelsea?

Rosenior is not, however, considered to be under immediate threat of losing his job. Fabrizio Romano has said, in an update on his YouTube channel: “The message I have from Chelsea is there's no imminent change on Liam Rosenior, and they still support him. This isn't a squad built for him, so there are some points to remember when it's time to judge him. They want to be in the Champions League next season.”

That is a stance backed up by BBC Sport, with Rosenior being tipped to see out a bid for a top-five finish and the right to grace the Champions League stage next season. They state that: “Qualification for the competition is the single biggest way for a major club to boost its bottom line. TV income, prize money and matchday revenue are far greater than those generated in the Europa League or Conference League.

“It is especially important for Chelsea, who still lack a long‑term front‑of‑shirt sponsor and whose stadium, Stamford Bridge, lags behind the bigger and more modern grounds used by many of their league rivals.

“It's for all these reasons that before the season, the primary club target for former boss Maresca was to qualify for next season's Champions League. And for Rosenior, who was expected to bring stability, that is the continued expectation.”

International break: Rosenior focused on silencing any doubters

Rosenior has been around the game long enough to know that it is advisable to turn blind eyes and deaf ears to any rumours. He told Match of the Day after witnessing an abject performance at Everton: “I don't focus on the noise. I know the reality of where I'm at and where we are at as a club and what we can achieve, which is still some amazing things. It's been a really testing period for these lads. We've had a lot of setbacks and we have to dust ourselves down and make sure we come back fighting.”

He went on to tell BBC Radio 5 Live: “What I need to do better is make better decisions in terms of team selections, how we freshen up the team and rotate the team to make sure we are competitive in these games. Having the international break has probably come at a perfect time for us to gather and restock. We also have some clear weeks to get on the training pitch to work on what we want.”

With domestic action shutting down, Chelsea will not take to the field again until playing host to League One strugglers Port Vale in the FA Cup quarter-finals on April 4. Sitting sixth in the table, they have seven Premier League fixtures left to take in this term.