We are now 13 matches into Liam Rosenior's tenure as Chelsea manager and, while that number is often considered unlucky, it certainly was for the Blues on Sunday. This weekend, Rosenior's team were beaten 2-1 by league-leaders Arsenal, seeing Pedro Neto sent off, before coming agonisingly close to an equaliser, Alejandro Garnacho in particular forcing David Raya into a jaw-dropping stop.
So, Rosenior has lost just three of his 13 matches since arriving at Stamford Bridge, all of which have come against Mikel Arteta's team, following defeat home and away in the EFL Cup semi-finals. This means, according to Harvey Downes of Opta, Rosenior is only the second manager in English top-flight history to suffer each of their first three loses with a club against the same opponent.
The other manager to endure this rare feat was Norwich City boss John Bond in 1973, who was beaten by Burnley in Division One, as well as across both legs of a Texaco Cup semi-final.
Thus, having won eight of his ten matches against not Arsenal so far, held to draws by Leeds and Burnley, Rosenior will surely be relieved that the Gunners are nowhere to be seen on his upcoming fixture list, for now anyway. The pair though are still in the FA Cup and could meet in the Champions League Final at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, having been drawn on opposite sides of the bracket. Back in the Premier League, are Chelsea's hopes of being in next season's Champions League in serious jeopardy.
Will Chelsea finish in the top 5?
After Rosenior won his first four Premier League matches as a manager, his team have since failed to win any of the last three. Despite leading in both, the Blues were held to draws by Leeds and then Burnley at Stamford Bridge in February, before their first league defeat under Rosenior came at the Emirates on Sunday.
This all leaves Chelsea sixth, outside the Champions League spots, three points below Liverpool and six adrift both Manchester United and Aston Villa. They do have an opportunity to make up ground, given that they'll visit Villa Park on Wednesday, but the Blues' remaining fixture list looks tough.
Chelsea's remaining Premier League fixtures
Date | Fixture | Current league position |
|---|---|---|
4 March | Aston Villa (A) | 4th |
14 March | Newcastle United (H) | 13th |
21 March | Everton (A) | 8th |
11/12 April | Manchester City (H) | 2nd |
18/19 April | Manchester United (H) | 3rd |
25/26 April | Brighton (A) | 11th |
2/3 May | Nottingham Forest (H) | 17th |
9/10 May | Liverpool (A) | 5th |
17 May | Tottenham Hotspur (H) | 16th |
24 May | Sunderland (A) | 12th |
Between now and the end of the season, Chelsea still have to face all four teams directly above them, and those encounters with Aston Villa, Man United and Liverpool in particular will be key in deciding who finishes in the top five. The Blues could also have a massive say in the title race, given that Manchester City visit Stamford Bridge after the March international window.
Their final two home games are against strugglers, but Nottingham Forest and Tottenham may well be fighting for their loves by the time May comes around. Thus, in summary, there are no gimmies left on their schedule, with plenty of big games to come, starting this very mid-week in the Midlands.