Liam Rosenior makes honest Chelsea admission amid Champions League race with Liverpool

Liam Rosenior has made an honest admission about his team, with Chelsea now trailing Liverpool in the race for the Champions League places with 10 games remaining

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior.(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior says his team has a few key areas that need to improve after it fell behind Liverpool in the race for the Champions League places this weekend.

Liverpool beat West Ham United on Saturday before Chelsea lost to Arsenal the following day. The Blues have only won once in their last four Premier League fixtures, which has allowed Arne Slot's side the opportunity to overtake.

With Aston Villa up next — another tough fixture — and PSG, Newcastle United and both Manchester teams on the horizon, things don't get any easier for Chelsea, at least on paper.

With Rosenior still relatively new to the role, he is eyeing some swift improvement in a couple of fundamental areas in order to keep pace with those above Chelsea in the table.

"Arsenal are a very physical, very high pressing, high-energy team," Rosenior said after losing at the Emirates Stadium.

"I want us to be high pressing and high energy as well. That is something that you can’t solve in a short space of time. That comes over a period of months and hopefully years."

In a different interview, Rosenior also picked out two other things that need to improve. Set-pieces caused problems for Chelsea against Arsenal, while Pedro Neto was sent off for a ridiculous challenge when he was already on a yellow card.

(Image: Getty Images)

"Same story, two things," Rosenior said. "I think anyone watching this game or previous few games, there's two things that we have to improve.

"Our discipline, and our defending set plays. If we do that, then we can still have a very, very good season."

With Liverpool now three points ahead of Chelsea and Manchester United and Aston Villa three more ahead again, the margin for error is small for the Stamford Bridge side to catch up.

However, Gary Neville is predicting that it will get over the line — with Aston Villa, struggling for form under Unai Emery, potentially the ones to drop out.

"I think Manchester United will definitely finish third," Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast. "I can't believe I'm saying that from where they were six weeks ago. But, they've got no distractions, something good is going on, all the momentum.

"I think Liverpool finish fourth and I think Chelsea will finish fifth. I hope Aston Villa finish in the top five, I really do.

"I've said before that their manager is an experienced and wise guy. If they get some players back; midfield players being injured have cost them in the last few weeks.

"I just think it will be Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea. The only doubt will be Chelsea or Aston Villa for fifth."