Chelsea may not qualify for Conference League, but major problems are deeper than Liam Rosenior

Motoring Manchester City ruthlessly capitalised on Arsenal’s capitulation at home to Bournemouth to move within six points of the top of the table.

But Pep Guardiola’s treble-chasers could hardly have picked an opponent easier to swat aside than a Chelsea team going backwards at an alarming rate under their Premier League rookie boss Liam Rosenior.

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In his pre-match programme notes, Rosenior optimistically pointed to last weekend’s 7-0 drubbing of League One strugglers Port Vale in an FA Cup mismatch as an example of his players showing ‘the mentality required.’

The brutal reality is the once all-conquering Blues’ have now won only one of their last seven games against meaningful opponents.

Never mind getting back into the Champions League next season, there is a very real danger the ‘world champions’ won’t even qualify for the Conference League.

The most damning aspect of Chelsea losing to a team they have not beaten since the 2021 Champions League final is that City were nowhere near their dazzling best and still triumphed with plenty in hand.

In fact, Guardiola’s troops did not get going until after Nico O’Reilly’s bullet header from Rayan Cherki’s sumptuous cross broke the deadlock six minutes into the second half.

It was game over six minutes later when City’s Cobham academy product Marc Guehi benefitted from another brilliant Cherki assist to make it 2-0.

By the time Jeremy Doku picked the pocket of Moises Caicedo on the edge of his own penalty area to stroll through and slot home the third on 68 minutes, City were simply toying with the hosts.

Even the boos that greeted the full-time whistle were half-hearted. For this was men against boys.

Chelsea in freefall

No wonder Enzo Maresca, who could well be next in line at the Etihad Stadium when Guardiola calls time on his trophy-laden tenure, felt like his reputation would have been more damaged staying at Stamford Bridge than walking away in January.

No wonder Enzo Fernandez, serving the second game of his club-imposed suspension, is hankering for a move to Real Madrid.

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No wonder former City starlet Cole Palmer, whose form is so bad he will do well to make England’s World Cup squad, is reportedly homesick for a return to the north west.

No wonder Marc Cucurella is fluttering his eyelashes at Barcelona.

No wonder a large section of Chelsea fans are already calling for the head of Rosenior.

However, while it is true no club with serious aspirations to win the Premier League nor Champions League any time soon would have taken a punt on a boss fired by Hull City, the problems in west London are far deeper than the man in the dugout.

Chelsea’s recruitment model is fundamentally flawed and they are a club lacking leadership on and off the pitch.

Unless owners ‘BlueCo’ wise up to their obvious mistakes, the prospect of being genuine competitors with City any time soon look remote and days like that glory night in Porto are a thing of the past.

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PA

As for City and the title race

Although City were hardly met with stiff opposition at Stamford Bridge, the pressure was on for them to deliver the three points.

They did so emphatically, and are now six points off leaders Arsenal.

Crucially, Guardiola’s men have a game in hand on the Gunners and also face them at home next weekend.

And Jeremy Doku believes that spicy Sunday showdown at the Etihad Stadium could prove to be the decider in the title race.

“I feel like in six games there’s not a lot of room for mistakes,” Doku told talkSPORT after the game.

“We know that we have an opportunity so we’re going to try to take it to win that game. So it’s going to be very decisive.”

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