Chelsea’s defeat to rivals Manchester United on Saturday night was a damning indictment of Liam Rosenior for a number of reasons, including the two clubs’ contrasting trajectories in recent months.
Rosenior’s compatriot Michael Carrick was appointed manager just a week ago, but while the latter has overseen a resurgence at Old Trafford, the Blues have gone backwards since Enzo Maresca’s departure.
In fact, Rosenior was in charge of 13 games in the Premier League, scoring just 17 points, and resigned with the Blues languishing in seventh place.
Carrick, by the way, led United to third place and has scored 26 points in 12 league games so far, losing only twice.
Chelsea manager – PL PPG* | ||
|---|---|---|
coach | game | PPG |
Grant | 32 | 2.32 |
Mourinho | 212 | 2.19 |
Conte | 76 | 2.14 |
ancelotti | 76 | 2.07 |
benitez | 26 | 1.96 |
Elementary school student | twenty five | 1.96 |
tuchel | 63 | 1.94 |
Hiddink | 34 | 1.94 |
Sarri | 38 | 1.89 |
Written by Mateo | twenty three | 1.83 |
*Top 10 – since 2000 | ||
Stamford Bridge’s side have seen their Champions League ambitions hit a snag as their next permanent manager was dealt a harsh blow ahead of this summer.
Who could Chelsea hire to replace Rosenior?
Despite the FA Cup semi-final being right around the corner, the Blues appear to have no plans to appoint an interim player for the remainder of the season, with Callum MacFarlane set to step up until the summer.
This will buy Bruco time to make the right decision regarding their next permanent hire at Stamford Bridge, with a number of high-profile managers expected to be put up for sale at the end of the season.
Among them is Andoni Iraola, who is confirmed to be leaving Bournemouth when his contract expires, with former manager Rayo Vallecano firmly in the running to replace Rosseniol.
The report, which has been corroborated by TEAMtalk, also outlines that Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner’s departure is also being considered.
Like Iraola, the Austrian manager is heading for the exit from Selhurst Park with his contract set to expire in June, but the FA Cup-winning manager has made no secret of his desire to move on from the start of the season.
Why Glasner is an upgrade over Iraola
Iraola, who is currently unbeaten in 14 Premier League games with the Cherries, is certainly an attractive target as he has done a fine job on the south coast, more than keeping the club afloat despite a number of key departures, whether it be Antoine Semenyo or Dean Huyssen.
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To Glasner’s credit, he has done much the same in south London, even if he has been more vocal about his dissatisfaction with the composition of the squad as Palace have lost the likes of Michael Oliseh, Eberechi Eze and Marc Gehi in recent years.
Regardless of the tensions that developed between Glasner and the Eagles support, there is no denying what a revelation he has been at the club, and perhaps represents an upgrade over Iraola given his silver medal-winning record.
In fact, the 51-year-old led his current team to their first-ever FA Cup win last season, defeating Manchester City in the final, before seeing Liverpool back to Wembley for the Community Shield.
If all goes well, Conference League glory could be in store in May, but Glasner has previously enjoyed European success with Eintracht Frankfurt, defeating the likes of Barcelona en route to winning the Europa League in 2022.
Apart from the Cyprus Cup with AEK Larnaca, Iraola’s managerial career to date has not been very fruitful, giving Glasner the edge in that regard.
Such winning experience at elite level has seen the Palace manager hailed by Jamie O’Hara as being a “better manager” than Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta, with the Spaniard only winning the FA Cup himself in more than six years at the Emirates.
Titles appear to be slipping away from the Gunners once again, but there is no guarantee of success in the long-awaited Champions League and it is certainly possible that Arteta will end the season empty-handed once again.
Unlike the Basque pair, Glasner has proven capable of winning silver medals with multiple clubs and is confident he can defy some odds and become the man to get Chelsea back on winning ways.
His football may not be sexy, but while it is effective, the way he has developed young players like Adam Wharton should be music to the Bruco regime’s ears.
He has a proven track record in the Premier League and has won major accolades, so what’s not to like?
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He would be a great choice.
