WHY IS LIAM DELAP SO UNHAPPY? RUUD GULLIT REVEALS THE CHELSEA TRUTH
Ruud Gullit criticises Liam Rosenior for playing Liam Delap out of position as Chelsea crashes out of the Carabao Cup to Arsenal.
Ruud Gullit didn’t think Liam Delap looked happy at all after starting as a winger for Chelsea in their Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Arsenal. Manager Liam Rosenior put Delap out on the right, which is not really his thing, and Chelsea just couldn’t get anything going offensively. They came into the match already trailing 3-2 from the first leg, and Rosenior’s tactical tweak didn’t do much to trouble Arsenal’s defence.
Chelsea was hoping to turn things around and reach Wembley, but the game at the Emirates was flat. Kai Havertz scored late to seal the deal for Arsenal, who went through 4-2 on aggregate. After the game, people weren’t shy about criticising Chelsea’s performance. Paul Merson even said they “played like a bottom four team,” which is pretty harsh but hard to argue with after watching that match.
Rosenior tried to defend his decisions afterwards. He talked about the need to manage the psychological side of the tie, saying he wanted to keep things tight and see if Chelsea could grab a moment to turn the game. He brought on Cole Palmer and Estevao around the hour mark, hoping to shake things up, and Chelsea did get a bit more lively in attack. Still, in the end, Arsenal held firm. Rosenior said he was proud of his players’ effort, even though the result was all that really mattered.
Gullit, though, thought Delap’s role out wide was a problem. He told Gambling Insider, “Liam Delap was not happy starting on the right wing against Arsenal. Rosenior clearly wanted to hit long balls to him, but Delap looked lost out there. Sure, it was tactical, but Delap just didn’t look comfortable. If you get the ball in the box, he’ll try to make something happen, but playing deeper or out wide just isn’t his game. Honestly, it’s a shame he didn’t play closer to Joao Pedro. Pedro looked pretty isolated up top, and having Delap up there with him would have helped both of them.”
Gullit also thought Chelsea just wasn’t creative all night. “They waited too long to really go for it,” he said. “When Palmer and Estevao came on, things improved a bit, but Arsenal also started sitting back more. Chelsea just didn’t have the firepower—they barely created any chances. I get why Rosenior set the team up the way he did, trying not to concede, but there was just no spark. Arsenal defended well and never really looked threatened.”
Delap’s not having a great time at Chelsea in general. The club spent £30 million on him last summer, but he hasn’t made the impact people expected. He’s only scored once in the Premier League, and pundit Troy Deeney thinks Delap just isn’t enjoying himself at all.
On the Football Xchange podcast, Deeney said, “He doesn’t look like he’s having any fun. It’s like he’s out there just trying to show the fans he cares by throwing his weight around. If he’d come up through a lower-league club, I’d get it—that’s what you do. But he’s from City, a top club; he knows how these teams are supposed to play. Maybe it’s injuries, maybe it’s the transfers, or something else off the pitch, but he just looks like he needs a break. He needs the summer to come, go off to Mykonos for a couple of weeks, and just clear his head. Right now, it all feels so heavy for him.”
XAVI OPENLY DECLARES INTEREST IN CHELSEA JOB DURING PERMANENT MANAGER SEARCH
With Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola on the shortlist, explore why Xavi Hernández wants to take over the Chelsea hotseat next.
Xavi has openly said he’d love to manage Chelsea, and now the Blues are hunting for someone to replace Liam Rosenior.
Rosenior got the sack last month after a rough patch just three months into his huge contract that was supposed to last six and a half years. Calum McFarlane is filling in as interim head coach until season’s end, but Chelsea are actively looking for a permanent boss for the 2026/27 campaign.
They're considering some big names. Xabi Alonso’s been mentioned; he’s been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in January. Andoni Iraola, who’s about to leave Bournemouth, is also on the shortlist.
Cesc Fabregas has been linked after his strong run at Como, and Frank Lampard’s in the mix too, fresh off winning the Championship with Coventry and securing promotion.
But Xavi really stands out. He’s already made it clear he’s interested in the Chelsea job. Back in 2019, before his Barcelona return, he said, “I don’t hide it; my goal is to come back to Europe and to Barca. It's my challenge, but I’m enjoying this current project. For me, training a team in Barcelona would be a privilege, the biggest privilege.”
He didn’t just talk about Spain either. “Honestly, who doesn’t love the Premier League? The atmosphere, packed stadiums, everyone says it’s incredible,” Xavi admitted. “If I had to pick, I’d go for a big team: City, United, Chelsea, Arsenal, or Tottenham. Klopp, Pochettino, and Unai Emery are doing amazing work there.”
After returning to Barcelona in 2021, Xavi led them to a La Liga title and the Supercopa de España before Hansi Flick took over in 2024. He’s been out of work since.
Now, Chelsea seems seriously interested in the Spaniard. According to The i, the club wants someone who can embed a strong football identity across their teams, something Enzo Maresca started.
Getting Xavi won’t be easy, though. Morocco’s national team reportedly sees him as a top candidate to replace Walid Regragui, and Manchester United is eyeing him too as they weigh options beyond Michael Carrick.
Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso is the bookmakers’ favourite for the Chelsea role, but word is he’d want more control over club decisions if he moves to west London.
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.
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