The real reason Chelsea’s players decided to down tools had nothing to do with Liam Rosenior

Maresca had built a strong emotional bond with the players, leading them to a Conference League title and a Club World Cup trophy, which made the timing of his mid-season exit particularly jarring for the dressing room.

The manner in which Maresca left Chelsea, amidst rumors of a move to Manchester City and a disagereement, left many senior figures feeling blindsided and disillusioned with the club’s direction.

This lingering resentment created a toxic atmosphere that Rosenior proved unable to navigate, but it wasn’t for the reasons we believed.

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The Chelsea players still hurting over Enzo Maresca’s exit

Matt Law appeared on the London Is Blue podcast once again, where he revealed that the reason the Chelsea players downed tools was because of Enzo Maresca leaving, rather than Rosenior.

“But the one thing I’ve been told, which I do find interesting in the last couple of days, is somebody who I do trust said to me, look, when I said to them, why did they just down tools in the end under Rosenior?

“The kind of guy he is, he can’t be that objectionable that a group of players decide they’re just gonna sort of throw this guy under the bus. And it was described to me as it was actually more a reaction they felt to Maresca going that there was a lot of upset within that squad about the way in which Maresca went and the timing of it and the fact they were unhappy with that.”

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It’s clear there was a lack of fight under Rosenior

The disconnect under Liam Rosenior was obvious during Chelsea’s disastrous spring run, where senior players appeared to bypass his tactical instructions entirely. On-pitch body language told the story, with high-profile stars visibly jogging back during transitions and ignoring sideline shouts for a higher press.

Of course, the players will no doubt have been upset about Maresca’s exit, as many spoke out about how they were miffed. But you could also tell that there was a lack of belief in Rosenior as Chelsea boss, whether that be his tactics or experience at the top level.