Rosenior never had a chance at Chelsea

Witnessing Chelsea’s woeful display against Brighton on Tuesday evening and the face of Chelsea owner Behdad Eghbali, who sat in the VIP seats at the Amex Stadium, it wasn’t at all surprising that Liam Rosenior was sacked on Wednesday afternoon. After the game Eghbali was in a phone conversation with co-owner Todd Boehly and they […]

Witnessing Chelsea’s woeful display against Brighton on Tuesday evening and the face of Chelsea owner Behdad Eghbali, who sat in the VIP seats at the Amex Stadium, it wasn’t at all surprising that Liam Rosenior was sacked on Wednesday afternoon.

After the game Eghbali was in a phone conversation with co-owner Todd Boehly and they talked again with Chelsea’s hierarchy on Wednesday and decided that Rosenior just wasn’t good enough to salvage what is left of Chelsea’s season.

Three months in charge registering 10 wins, 10 defeats and 3 draws and little chance of making the Champions League places next season.

There is nothing like failure to make money. Many people have reported that Rosenior signed a six and a half year contract on January 29th and could walk away from Stamford Bridge pocketing nearly £24million.

However, in truth, currently every top football club inserts clauses into contracts which limit their liability and this could significantly lower Rosenior’s payout.

Chelsea will have paid out approximately £145million in compensation to managers who have been sacked during the Premier League era. Antonio Conte took home a massive £26million when he was sacked in 2018!

Rosenior is yet another example of a European coach doing well – he was at Strasbourg – but finding it too much of a challenge in the Premier League which boasts the most elite football of any league in the world. In many ways his appointment should never have been made and is another mistake by the owners of Chelsea. Supporters plan more protests but BlueCo’s large stake in the club means they are going nowhere.

Calum McFarlane has been made interim manager until the end of the season when Chelsea’s hierarchy will consider their next move.

McFarlane joined Chelsea last summer from Southampton where he managed the Under 21s and before that the Under 18s. He will be in charge of the home match against Leeds on Sunday.

McFarlane will have to battle with his players’ lack of self-belief, lack of confidence and lack of motivation. Rosenior did not cause the poor discipline, the persistent errors or the defensive mistakes or ineffective attacking qualities but this fragile situation was beyond his experience and ability and in the end he was shown the exit door.

All those negatives were present when Rosenior took over the club but he could never find the solution to turn the club around.

 

Arteta says his players still believe

In the post-match press conference it was obvious that Mikel Arteta was both disappointed and upset although he tried to hide his true feelings. Losing to his mentor Pep Guardiola was bad enough but Arsenal’s 2-1 loss to Manchester City has opened up the title race with only a handful of games to play.

Many fans were critical of Arteta’s decision to leave Martin Odegaard on the pitch whilst taking Eberechi Eze off. Arteta had planned to take the game to City and not sit back and defend their advantage in the title race. He said in the conference, “We prepared to take the game to the areas that we believed we could win…but the reality is in the two boxes today and it was the difference that decided the game.”

When asked what the mood in the dressing room was like after the loss he said, “Obviously the players were very disappointed not to get the result from the game. They said okay we lost but we have the biggest challenge now in the next five games so let’s do it. We can still win the title.” Arteta insisted that Arsenal players are convinced they can do it.

Finishing second for three seasons and now with things looking difficult for the Gunners, many supporters have called for a change of manager. Personally, I think this is disrespectful and unfair. Mikel Arteta is a great manager – he was simply outmaneuvered by his mentor and the Gunner’s lack of a world class out and out striker such as Erling Haaland has punished Arsenal again. But the fight goes on.

Ex-Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires says he believes Arteta will be sacked if they do not win the league having been so disappointed in previous seasons and letting go of a formidable Premier League lead. The club invested last summer at the insistence of Arteta and his revamped squad have done well all season only to let it all be threatened in the last few games.

 

Liverpool’s poor defending with Isak anonymous

Liverpool’s chances of qualifying for Europe next season took an upturn after defeating Everton. Reaction around the stadium was that Liverpool did not deserve their win over the Toffees because once again poor defending, injuries and a mediocre performance repeated what has been the story of their season. Arne Slot is under pressure and his job security has been discussed but in reality the Reds are still battling for a fifth place in Europe. They have a seven point cushion between them and sixth-placed Chelsea.

One negative for Liverpool and a problem for Arne Slot was the performance of Alexander Isak who returned after his ankle injury and was largely anonymous. He managed only nine touches of the ball and produced one shot. He is desperately lacking game time and fitness.

 

De Zerbi positive Tottenham can survive

Playing lower league football at arguably the world’s best stadium is unthinkable as Tottenham teeter on the edge of relegation after their draw with Brighton.

Tottenham had thrown away a lead to draw 2-2 with Brighton’s Seagulls in an extra time calamity. The point is, Tottenham cannot afford to throw away points. Putting thousands of white flags on the seats of their supporters was more a sign of surrender rather than inspiration. The supporters did their bit creating a deafening noise but the team failed again.

 

Roberto De Zerbi has definitely improved the squad performances but is it too little too late for Spurs?

Talk among the club assistants is certainly focusing on player mental fragility inside a team that cannot play out a victory and it is now 112 days since Tottenham tasted the pleasure of a win.

Roberto De Zerbi however has a different point of view. He said his main objective is to motivate the players and get the London Stadium rocking. He certainly achieved that.

On the bright side the way the Spurs players pressed, ran forward with energy, focus and intent, blocking the lanes so opponents were hemmed in was very impressive. But again they could not hold on to the end of the match. This was not the Spursy of old however. De Zerbi’s teams have always been aggressive in their play and Tottenham players have learned very quickly that is what he wants from them. Five games to save their Premier League status beginning with already relegated Wolves this weekend but then a tough match at Villa should indicate where Spurs will be playing next season.

                                                                                                                        

Konate says deal is close for him to stay at Anfield

Ibrahima Konate says his situation at Liverpool is about to be sorted out and he will sign a new contract. Supporters have been anxious for news for months. The Frenchman’s current deal ends in 2 months and he will become a free agent with rumours circulating that he could go to Real Madrid on a free transfer.

Konate is still only 26 years-of-age and he says his new deal will be confirmed in the next few days.

He said earlier this week, “My future? To be fair, there are many things people have said but for a long time my agents have spoken with the club and we are close to agreement. I think everyone wished for that for as long as possible but we are now in a good way. For sure there is a big chance I will be here next season. This is what I always wanted.”

 

Anthony Gordon looks towards Bayern

Rumours have been circulating all season regarding a move away from the north east and Newcastle for winger and England international Anthony Gordon. I have discovered that representatives of Bayern Munich have been contacting his agents and the player himself has suggested to close friends that he would be interested in moving to the Bundesliga. He has followed the careers of Harry Kane and ex-Palace player Michael Olise and both have enjoyed huge success since moving to Germany.

Newcastle have said they would not stand in his way if he wants to leave and have already started drawing up a list of possible replacements.

 

Villa cementing a Champions League spot

Everything is going Aston Villa’s way at the moment. After blowing a two goal lead they still managed to pop in a Tammy Abraham winner to beat Sunderland as they moved 10 points clear of Chelsea in the battle for Champions League Europe next season.

Coach Unai Emery sprinted over to striker Ollie Watkins at the finish after his current rich vein of form had put away two more goals and once again reminded England manager Thomas Tuchel that he is still in contention for a World Cup place. He has scored six goals in his last five games.

Jadon Sancho came on for the last ten minutes and once again failed to impress. His time at Villa looks to be up and he could be on his way in June.

 

Juve planning move for James Trafford from City

Juventus have been impressed with the stand-in performances of Manchester City’s goalkeeper James Trafford. The Premier League is televised in Italy and when James deputised for Gianluigi Donnarumma during last month’s Carabao Cup final win against Arsenal he was a key member of the team. His excellent saves have also put him in line for an England World Cup squad call-up. Tottenham and Aston Villa have scouts watching the 23-year-old who turned down a move to Newcastle and returned to City last summer.

Trafford is interested in Juve because he still harbours some regrets about re-joining City because when he signed a contract he was not told that the club had already arranged to bring in Donnarumma. City would expect to make a profit on the £27million they paid Burnley for his services but Juventus would prefer a deal for around £17million which brings in the possibility of a loan. Should the move for Trafford not work out, Juve are also keeping tabs on Liverpool’s Alisson Becker and former Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea who now plays in Serie A with Fiorentina.

 

Arsenal vs Newcastle

Two teams with managers under pressure to deliver results.

Newcastle have endured a dreadful season despite having talented players and a good coach but injuries have played a big part in their failure to climb the table. Yoane Wissa was bought to score goals but he is unlikely to play having been available for only 17 minutes in six matches. Joelinton is suspended following ten yellow cards and Emil Krafth and Fabian Schar are still out. Anthony Gordon and Tino Livramento could be available but Newcastle were unable to confirm their fitness situation with me at the time of writing this column.

Arsenal are very strong at the Emirates Stadium having scored 21 of their last 22 home games whereas Newcastle have lost their last three matches and have a very poor away record.

Midfield again is crucial for possession and Declan Rice and the returning club captain Martin Odegaard who could dominate this game. There is a possible return for Bruno Guimaraes after injury and Newcastle will build around him if he plays.

Tactically Arsenal should control possession playing their 4-2-3-1 formation with high control and territorial dominance. Newcastle will hope to break on the counter getting the ball up to Harvey Barnes and Anthony Elanga through Jacob Ramsey and Lewis Miley but these players have been very inconsistent all season and Arsenal’s strong defence should be able to deal with them as Mosquera, William Saliba, Gabriel Malgalhaes and Piero Hincapie have moulded together under Mikel Arteta to become a very strong defence.

I cannot believe Arsenal will squander another game after losing twice in their previous encounters to Bournemouth and Manchester City. Having contacted both clubs this week and testing their thoughts I can confidently say that I think Arsenal have a 70% chance of winning this match.