Chelsea coach battles assertion of losing his dressing room
Liam Rosenior has played down assertions of having lost the confidence of his players amid a concerning slump from the reigning world champions.
Chelsea’s campaign went from bad to worse on Tuesday April 21, 2026, as they suffered a 3-0 humbling by Brighton & Hove Albion. The defeat extends the Blues’ winless streak to five games, compounding a goal-scoring drought that has seen them fail to find the net throughout that entire period.
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The coach has denied losing his players and the dressing room, asserting that the focus should be on the bigger picture of the team performance and not him as an individual.
Playing for the badge
“Whether it’s playing for me, it’s not about playing for me.
“It’s about playing for the club. It’s about playing for the shirt. It’s about playing to win games of football. I can only speak on what I saw tonight. You can read anything into it that you want, whether they’re playing for me or not. That performance in itself was damning,” he said while reflecting on the loss to Brighton.
Rosenior also defended his handling of the team amid the sticky spell.
The coach endorsed a club-imposed ban on vice skipper Enzo Fernandez over his explosive remarks about wanting out of the club in the recent past, as well as his scathing assessment of the performance on Monday against the Seagulls.
Criticisms
“It stood everything against what I believe in.
“We’ll find out [if the players will react]. I haven’t criticised them up to now.
“I’ve defended them. They’ve deserved that.
“I always come out here and tell the truth, and I blame myself as well. It’s not just blaming the players. I’m part of that process,” he added.
With Blues Champions League prospects getting harder with each passing loss and day, the Englishman insists he will not back down from the challenge ahead of him.
“I always said I would be honest, and I have been honest with the players, and I am honest with you as honest as I can. I am not throwing anyone under the bus.
“We’re playing for Chelsea, and I am managing Chelsea. The criticism and pressure come with the football club. So, if you can’t handle that, then you should not be here.
“It is as simple as that. And that’s something that needs to be addressed this week. But it also needs to be addressed in the long term,” he concluded.
