ALAN SHEARER BREAKS DOWN WHY CHELSEA IS THE MOST "CRAZY" CLUB
Alan Shearer reacts to Enzo Maresca's exit and Liam Rosenior becoming the favourite for the Chelsea job. Can he survive BlueCo's plan?
Alan Shearer says that if Liam Rosenior wants to last at Chelsea, he's got to do better than Enzo Maresca did. Shearer thinks Chelsea is a bonkers club, so it won't be easy.
After Maresca's surprising departure, Rosenior is the top candidate for the Chelsea job. Maresca left on New Year's Day.
Rosenior, who is 41, is now coaching Strasbourg, which, like Chelsea, is owned by BlueCo.
Shearer, who used to play for Newcastle and England, said he was surprised that Maresca left. He said that Maresca himself hinted at trouble when he said he had a terrible 48 hours at the club back in December.
Shearer pointed out that the Chelsea job is different because of how the club is run. He thinks whoever replaces Maresca will need to do even better than he did.
Maresca won the FIFA Club World Cup and Conference League in his one full season. He also got the Blues back into the Champions League.
Shearer talked about Rosenior's challenge at Chelsea.
Rosenior is now the favorite to take over after Enzo Maresca left.
Shearer said on Betfair, When you take that job, you know what you're getting into. It's very different from other clubs in how it's run.
It's not about Maresca; it's about the people above him. Their plan is clearly to buy young players, help them grow, and give them really long contracts so they can sell them later.
I don't think you can win the league that way. You might get into the top four because you can spend a lot of money. But basically, the new guy has to do better than the last guy.
The last guy won two trophies last year. They were in fifth place, just one win away from the top four. To me, he did a good job. I don't think he could have done much better. He's highly valued. Am I surprised? Not really.
I think Chelsea is crazy sometimes. That's the owners; that's how they want to run the club. It's unusual, and that's what Maresca was trying to tell us with his little rant a few weeks ago.
He was manager of the month in November. I know they've only won one in seven games, which is tough to watch at a big club, but nothing surprises me in soccer, especially at that club.
Rosenior, who used to manage Hull City, is seen as the most likely to take over from Maresca.
BlueCo likes Rosenior because of the work he's done with their sister club in France. But if they bring him to Chelsea, they'll need to find another manager for Strasbourg.
Shearer thinks Rosenior needs to do better than Maresca to stay in the job.
He warned that Rosenior will have to handle the pressure and that the owners make bonkers decisions about how they run the club.
Right now, Strasbourg is seventh in their league. They had an impressive win against Crystal Palace in the Conference League in November, but their results weren't as good in December.
When asked about his future at a press conference on Friday, Rosenior said he couldn't promise he would stay at Strasbourg.
Rosenior said, In life, you can't guarantee anything. You never know what will happen tomorrow. I'm just doing my job. There's already been talk. I don't want to promise how long I'll be here, but I really like it here every day.
I plan to keep enjoying it as long as I'm here. I love this club, but I can't promise anything. No one can.
Shearer said that Rosenior is highly thought of because of his time at Strasbourg and Hull. But he wondered if Rosenior is ready for a job as big as Chelsea.
The big question is this: Is he ready for such a big job? Does he know what he's getting into?
We saw Graham Potter, who had potential, go there recently, and we know what happened to him.
I understand why they want a young, up-and-coming coach. I don't think Chelsea will get one of the really big managers because of how they want to run the club. So, I guess they'll look for someone with potential instead of a big name.
It would be great for a young English manager to get the job. He chose to go to another country to learn something new, which shows he's eager. I know his time at Hull ended strangely, but it's impressive that he went abroad to learn a different way of life.
He'll have to think hard about whether it's the right move for his career, but Chelsea is a huge club that can win trophies. It'll be tough to turn down.
Whoever comes in, the goal for Chelsea is to finish in the top four. They're not going to win the league. I think it's clear that City and Arsenal will be the top two. They have to qualify for the Champions League.
COLE PALMER MISSES PENALTY AS CHELSEA SUFFER HISTORIC SIXTH CONSECUTIVE LEAGUE DEFEAT
Chelsea matched a 1912 record with their 6th straight loss, falling 3-1 to Forest as Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice at the Bridge.
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Chelsea hit rock bottom again, losing 3-1 to Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge. That’s six Premier League defeats in a row now, something the club hadn’t seen since 1912. Just when you thought the season couldn’t get any worse, Forest showed up with a makeshift lineup and absolutely stunned them. Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice, one barely a minute into the match, and then Igor Jesus put away a penalty, and suddenly Forest was six points clear of the drop zone.
Chelsea hadn’t scored in five games, and it looked like that streak would go on forever. Then, in stoppage time, Joao Pedro finally managed an overhead kick to break the drought. That run was made even more ridiculous earlier when Cole Palmer missed a first-half penalty. Matz Sels, Forest’s backup goalkeeper, saved it.
Honestly, the crowd in the Shed End probably barely recognised their own team. Pereira swapped in seven new outfield players, most of them with almost no league experience; he was clearly thinking about the upcoming Europa League semi-final. But it looked like Chelsea was the stranger out there.
Things only got worse for interim head coach Calum McFarlane. He lost Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho to late injuries, so 18-year-old Jesse Derry had to make his Premier League debut. Then, late in the first half, Derry collided heads with Forest’s Zach Abbott and had to be stretchered off after getting oxygen. It was brutal to watch.
The match itself? Chaos. Less than two minutes in, Chelsea messed up their own throw-in and let Forest stroll through midfield. Dilane Bakwa beat Marc Cucurella with little effort and crossed to Awoniyi, who was completely unmarked and headed it in.
Fifteen minutes later, Chelsea conceded again. Bakwa whipped in another cross; Malo Gusto pulled Awoniyi’s shirt, and VAR handed Forest a penalty. Jesus hammered it right down the middle.
The first half was hopeless, and by the end, serious concern set in after that nasty head clash between Derry and Abbott. Abbott, playing just his second league game, left on his own, but Derry needed serious treatment and was stretchered off.
After a nearly ten-minute stoppage, Palmer’s penalty was stopped by Sels. At halftime, Levi Colwill returned from a major injury he hadn’t played since tearing his ACL in August. He tried to restore order, but nothing changed.
Forest’s third goal came just seven minutes into the second half. Gibbs-White crossed, and Awoniyi tapped in from close range, just managing to stay onside. Chelsea’s keeper, Robert Sanchez, took a knock and left with a bandaged head after colliding with Gibbs-White.
Pedro’s late goal barely counted for anything. The few Chelsea fans left in the stadium cheered, but it was more out of irony than joy.
JESSE DERRY MAKES FIRST CHELSEA START AS MCFARLANE SHUFFLES THE TACTICAL DECK
Chelsea stars Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto miss the Forest clash with knocks, handing 18-year-old Jesse Derry a shock start.
Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto both picked up knocks before Chelsea’s match against Nottingham StadiumNest has learnt. They’d started in last weekend’s FA Cup semi-final, but both missed out on the squad at Stamford Bridge this time.
Calum McFarlane spoke to Sky Sports before kickoff and explained what happened. “It’s nothing serious, just knocks in training. We’re just managing it,” he said.
With them out, Jesse Derry and Cole Palmer came into the starting lineup. Derry, just 18 and only recently breaking into the Chelsea first team, now had a big chance. McFarlane spoke highly of him: “It’s a great opportunity for Jesse. He’s been training with us a lot, he’s played in other games, and we know what he can do. I’ve worked with him before. The lads trust him, and so do I. He’s been excellent in training. We’re really excited for him.”
On Friday at Cobham, Chelsea’s interim boss said the win at Wembley lifted everyone’s mood. “When things aren’t going well, it’s tough. You're not getting the results you want, and it weighs on you. But a single win can turn all that around. The atmosphere has been good, the lads are training well, and the staff feel it too. The energy’s back at Cobham, so we want to keep that going.”
Now, at 38, McFarlane takes charge for the first time at Stamford Bridge. “I’m really looking forward to it. Forest is a strong side, and it’ll be tough, but it’s an honour to lead the team here. I’ve been part of the backroom staff before, but this is something different. Leading the side in front of the home fans? That’s special. I hope we can put in a performance as we did at Wembley.”
He knows the crowd has a big part to play. “We need the fans behind us, bringing energy and really backing the team. There’s still so much to play for; the cup final’s coming, and Champions League qualification is up for grabs. We want to win every game left. Two more at the Bridge, right? We want to make them count, so we need everyone pulling together.”
Chelsea fell behind in the race for the Champions League under Liam Rosenior, dropping 10 points off the pace. Is top-four still possible? McFarlane kept it simple: “All we can do is win our games and not worry about the rest. If we focus on our own performance, the results will take care of themselves. It’s about each match, each day, each session.”
Forest, fresh off a 1-0 first-leg win over Aston Villa in the Europa League semi-finals, is no easy opponent. McFarlane knows that. “They’re in really good form, packed with quality and real threats. So, it’s another huge challenge, just like every Premier League game. But we’ll be ready.”
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