Chelsea's Nightmare Run: Time for Rosenior to Roll Up His Sleeves

Four defeats in a row? That's not just a blip, that's a full-on crisis for Chelsea. They've shipped 12 goals in those games, crashed out of the Champions League and slipped further from those top-four spots. With Manchester City and Manchester United looming in April, manager Liam Rosenior has zero room for complacency. The international break is his chance to reset, and here are the four headaches he needs to cure.

1. Get Robert Sánchez Believing in Himself Again

Picture this: your keeper's finally hitting stride, then bam – new gaffer arrives and you're on the bench for the biggest match. That's Robert Sánchez's story. He was solid under Enzo Maresca, but errors crept in post-Rosenior, leading to a demotion during the 4-1 thrashing of Aston Villa. His replacement, Filip Jörgensen, had a shocker against PSG, and now Sánchez is back but looking like a ghost of his former self.

Jörgensen's off for surgery, so Sánchez starts. But confidence? Shot to bits. Rosenior might need to tweak tactics like Maresca did – play to his distribution strengths, mask the rash moments. Drop him again? Risky business when the lad's early Chelsea promise feels a distant memory.

2. Patch Up a Battered Backline Amid Injury Chaos

Chelsea's defence isn't leaking; it's a bloody torrent. Players out of position, no cohesion – and that's before the injury curse struck. Captain Reece James is hamstrung, Trevoh Chalobah faces six weeks out after Achraf Hakimi twisted his ankle into oblivion against PSG.

Rosenior's got five centre-backs, but who to trust? Wesley Fofana's in a slump, Mamadou Sarr struggled at right-back, Tosin Adarabioyo and Benoît Badiashile are transfer window fodder, and kid Josh Acheampong's green as grass. Time for tactical tinkering or some tough love? Stabilising this lot feels like herding cats on ice.

3. Crack the Code on Fitting in Estêvão

Finally, a spark! Brazilian whiz Estêvão returned from hamstring woes for a cameo in the Everton loss. The kid's electric on the right, where Cole Palmer reigns supreme. Shift Palmer inside? But that's Enzo Fernández's patch lately.

Chelsea's attack's gone stale – they need Estêvão's flair to unlock doors. Fans are gagging for him to start. Rosenior, make it happen, or watch the creativity drought worsen.

4. Sort the Midfield Mess for Some Spine

Speaking of Fernández, what's his gig? The Argie was a box-to-box beast under Maresca, now he's adrift in attack, passing game's gone awry. Pair him deep with weary Moises Caicedo? Tried James, Andrey Santos, even Roméo Lavia – all flops. The pivot's porous, no shield, no thrust.

Rotation's fine, but this jumble's killing them. Nail a settled trio down the middle, or keep haemorrhaging goals.

Fixtures That'll Make or Break 'Em

No time to hide post-break:

• Port Vale (H) – April 4

• Man City (H) – April 12

• Man Utd (H) – April 18

• Brighton (A) – April 26

• Nott'm Forest (H) – May 2

Rosenior's on notice. Fix these, or the blues turn black. As the lads at SI Soccer have been banging on, it's now or never for Stamford Bridge stability.