The Blues boss, parachuted in from sister club Strasbourg when Enzo Maresca left the club earlier this year, has seven games in which to get the West Londoners back into the Champions League.
Seven games left for Chelsea to get back into the top four
A competition they were recently unceremoniously dumped out of by holders Paris Saint-Germain, in a two-legged tie which showed up the 41-year-old's shortcomings in the dugout.
After a decent enough start to life at Stamford Bridge, Rosenior is now under pressure to deliver, and even though the Chelsea hierarchy has stood right behind their man, failure to qualify for the UCL is likely to bring a swift end to the association.
With seven games left to play, against Man City, Man Utd, Brighton, Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, Tottenham and Sunderland, Chelsea need to claw back a gap to fourth place, which currently stands at six points.
The seven clubs below the Blues are all within six points of them, and given that Brighton and Sunderland are two of those teams, unless the West Londoners can get their act together, there's every chance that they might not finish in the top six this season, thereby having no European football whatsoever in 2026/27.
Pundits are not impressed by Rosenior
Though the first team squad will be looking to a morale-boosting FA Cup win against Port Vale in their next match, the fact remains that they've lost their last four in all competitions, and pundits are rounding on Rosenior not only for an obvious lack of clout over senior players, but because of his penchant for scribbling notes during games and coming out with ridiculous soundbites in press conferences.
"Protecting the ball," when the team were caught by TV cameras surrounding the referee in a pre-match huddle was Rosenior's explanation, causing much mirth from those in the game, and journalists reporting on it.
It's perhaps with this bad PR in mind, as much as Chelsea's season potentially imploding, that has seen the board make tentative enquiries about their former player, Cesc Fabregas, who is now doing a sterling job at Como in Serie A.
Fabregas' brilliant job at Como
Currently fourth in the Italian top-flight, Fabregas' side have scored 53 goals so far this season, the most in the division other than current leaders Inter (66). Como's 22 goals conceded is the best defensive record, whilst only AC Milan (three) has lost fewer than Como's five games domestically.
After having played for I Lariani on the last stop of his playing career, the former Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea, and Monaco ace was appointed as head coach for the club's U19 and B teams, before being handed the interim position as head coach of the senior side, and then assistant coach to Osian Roberts.
At the start of the 2024/25 campaign, Fabregas was given the role full-time, and in the space of two seasons, he's taken a team to the cusp of Champions League football.
Only 38 years of age, he is Rosenior's junior by three years, but importantly, he has the cachet that being a player at the elite level of the game brings. Not to mention a tactical acumen and appreciation of the game that far exceeds that of the Englishman.
A progressive and possession-based style
With the greatest respect to Rosenior, a career that took in Hull City, Fulham, Reading and Brighton amongst others, isn't going to endear him to players such as Enzo Fernandez, a World Cup winner with Argentina.
Fabregas, on the other hand, has also won the game's greatest prize and was part of Spain's golden generation, and that will always have kudos from younger players.
Ultimately, the Spaniard's possession-based style and progressive way he likes his teams to play, as well as his ability to bring through younger players, are more in keeping with the direction of travel that Chelsea would like to take.
Of course, there are no guarantees that Fabregas would move back to the Premier League, particularly if Como end the season with Champions League qualification.
Lack of continuity could rule Fabregas out
Though he knows how things work at Chelsea and he'd arguably have a bigger budget at Stamford Bridge, the potential issue of constant interference from BlueCo isn't likely to be a facet of the job he would enjoy.
Indeed, in the time that Fabregas has been a coach at Como, the Blues have had all of Bruno Saltor, Frank Lampard, Mauricio Pochettino, Maresca, Calum McFarlane and Rosenior taking first-team duties.
There simply isn't any continuity to speak of, and that's something which Como has more than benefited from.
Rosenior may well be the fall guy, but don't expect Fabregas to just come running to Chelsea's rescue.
