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Liam Rosenior was ‘stitched up’ by two Chelsea players before his exit

Published 09:48 24 Apr 2026 BST

Updated 10:44 24 Apr 2026 BST

JOE
Liam Rosenior was ‘stitched up’ by two Chelsea players before his exit

Homesport

Gary Neville made an interesting point regarding his CFC sacking.

Liam Rosenior's reign at Chelsea did not end well, with the Premier League giants losing five league games in a row, without scoring a goal, something which hasn't happened since 1912.

During that torrid run of form, Chelsea were thrashed at Brighton and Everton, as well as losing at home to 14th-placed Newcastle United, who have struggled domestically this season.

With the club currently 8th in the league, the prospect of European football is suddenly plunged into chaos for the club that are once again searching for a permanent gaffer.

The successor to Rosenior will be appointed in the summer, with Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva emerging as early contenders.

Iraola goes into the summer without a club, with prizing away Silva from West London rivals Fulham perhaps the most difficult task out of the two prospects.

Though the writing of the sacking was on the wall, Gary Neville has insisted two senior Chelsea players 'stitched up' the inexperienced boss.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville stated: "The results have not been good enough. When the results aren’t good enough, a manager gets sacked.

“But come on, Cucurella and Fernandez - experienced players and probably the only two experienced players that Chelsea have got - stitched him up in the last few weeks by calling out the fact that they basically love Maresca, but they weren't doing that well under him."

Neville added: “I think Maresca is a fine coach as well, but this policy at Chelsea and this plan – I don’t see it. These six- and eight-year agreements, you see it is almost laughable from the start, whether it be for a manager or a player.”

When did Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella speak on Enzo Maresca?

Enzo Fernandez spoke on the departure of Enzo Maresca last month, alluding it left the team without an identity.

"I don't understand it," Fernandez remarked on Maresca's exit from the club.

"Sometimes as a player, there's things we don't understand and the way they try to manage things. I don't have an answer for you because I don't know."

"Obviously, it was a departure that hurt a lot because we had a lot of identity, he gave us order but it's the way that football is, sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. But we always had a clear identity when it came to training, playing and obviously his departure hurt us especially in the middle of the season - it cuts everything short."

Soon after, Cucurella spoke out to The Athletic on the Italian's departure.

“We knew what Maresca wanted from us. Winning a title like the Club World Cup also helps, strengthens the bond, and you create great relationships during the celebrations.

“When a manager gives you that confidence and offers you a platform to fight for titles, you’d die for him.

"The moment Maresca left, it had a big impact on us. These are decisions taken by the club. If you asked me, I would not have made this decision. To make a change like that, the best thing is to wait until the end of the season. You would give everyone, the players and the new manager, time to get ready, have a full pre-season."