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Liam Rosenior was booed by the travelling Chelsea fans at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday night, and he's under pressure to turn things around
Liam Rosenior has been thrown a lifeline that could rescue his career at Chelsea. Moises Caicedo will be available for selection when the Blues face Manchester City after the upcoming international break, having not been booked during the defeat to Everton on Saturday night.
Next month, Rosenior will look to lead Chelsea back to winning ways when he locks horns with Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium. The west Londoners have lost each of their last four games across all competitions, crashing out of the Champions League and falling behind in the race for a place in the top four.
The Blue boss, who was booed by the travelling support at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, is now under immense pressure to turn things around. Fortunately for Rosenior, he can take consolation from the fact that Caicedo escaped a suspension at the weekend.
According to The FA's disciplinary rules, players who accumulate 10 yellow cards in Premier League matches up to and including their club's 32nd fixture of the campaign will serve a two-match ban in the same competition. So, had the 24-year-old midfielder been cautioned during the defeat to Everton, he would've missed the two huge clashes against Manchester City and Manchester United.
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As the game against Guardiola's side would be Chelsea's' 32nd of the English top-flight campaign, Caicedo would also have to avoid a booking there too. If he were to be cautioned, he would be sidelined when the Blues face the Red Devils at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, April 18, and Brighton at the Amex Stadium on Sunday, April 26, dates which are subject to change, depending on results in the FA Cup.
Yellow cards in the Premier League do not carry over to either of the domestic cup competitions. But when a player is shown a red card, they are carried over to and from the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
After the international break, Chelsea will first play Port Vale in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup on Saturday, April 4. Then, after a week or so on the training pitches at Cobham, the Blues will resume their pursuit of qualification for the Champions League at the Etihad on Sunday, April 12.
With Caicedo available, Rosenior stands a much greater chance of snatching three crucial points. The west Londoners squandered the chance to leapfrog Liverpool in the race for the top four at the weekend.
Shortly before Chelsea face Everton, Brighton defeated Arne Slot's side at the Amex Stadium. Although qualification for the Champions League remains in the Blues' sights, the likes of Brentford, Everton and Newcastle United are just a handful of points away in seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively.
Speaking to reporters at the weekend, Rosenior offered his verdict on a difficult few weeks. The Chelsea boss said: "It's a disappointing time for the club at the moment in terms of the way we lost in the Champions League and the way we've lost the last two games.
"My job, it hurts. Regardless of your position, it hurts to lose games of football. In terms of moving forward and having this time is to look at the bigger picture. We're one point away from the Champions League position.
"We need to keep working in this way. We need to keep giving the players as much confidence as possible and hopefully this break of games now for us comes at a really good moment."
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