There are bad runs, and then there is whatever Chelsea are going through right now. A home defeat to Brighton on Tuesday — their third loss in five games — has pushed the season from "disappointing" to something closer to a genuine crisis. The headline about it not happening in 100 years is accurate: Brighton have not beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the top flight in that long. And yet there it was.
The performance was the problem more than the result. Chelsea had enough of the ball to do something with it. They had Cole Palmer, one of the most creative players in the league, nominally pulling strings in midfield. And still they found a way to lose. Rosenior has now gone eight games without a win in all competitions, and even the most patient supporter is beginning to wonder what exactly the plan is.
The manager himself cut a frustrated figure in his post-match press conference. He spoke about character, about responding, about the group needing to find something from within. These are the kinds of phrases coaches use when they don't have a clean answer to what's gone wrong, and it's hard to blame him entirely — this Chelsea squad has real quality, yet it isn't functioning as a unit.
The transfer window activity over the past two seasons has left the club with a peculiar squad: deep in some areas, almost bare in others, and lacking the kind of spine and leadership that the best teams have when the going gets difficult. There's no one on the pitch who commands authority when things go wrong. Palmer tries, but he can't do it alone.
Brighton, for their part, were excellent. They pressed intelligently, moved the ball quickly, and punished Chelsea's defensive hesitancy on the break. Fabian Hürzeler's side continue to punch above their weight with a game plan that is genuinely hard to play against.
For Chelsea, the questions are mounting. Where does Rosenior find an answer? What does this squad look like with genuine leadership? And is this season already beyond saving, or can something be salvaged before the final few weeks?
One thing is certain: losing at home to Brighton in that fashion, with a stat attached that references a century of previous results, is the kind of result that echoes. Chelsea need a response — and they need it quickly.
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