Chelsea Update: Young Blues Struggling Against Premier League Giants, Kellyman Shines, and Is Rosenior's Honeymoon Phase Coming to an End?

LIAM Rosenior has been at pains to dismiss fears the youth of Chelsea’s squad is holding the club back.

Enzo Maresca had tried to do the same, and when results improved under Rosenior, the issue went away for a while.

Liam Rosenior has denied the age of Chelsea’s squad is a problemCredit: Getty

But it is back with a vengeance now because the same on-pitch failings which paved the way for Maresca’s departure seem to be back.

Specifically, dropping points from winning positions, bad discipline and overall inconsistency of performance.

And statistics compiled for Chelsea Files show just how far the Blues lag behind most of the top Premier League teams – not to mention some of the less successful clubs – in terms of age and top-level experience.

If Wesley Fofana’s sending off against Burnley and the lack of concentration which allowed Zian Flemming to equalise for the Clarets were one-offs, you could overlook them.

But when such moments keep happening over and over again, and the issue is more mental than technical, you have to look for reasons.

The fact is, Chelsea once more have by far the youngest team in the PL.

The average age of their starting 11 this season is 24 years and 204 days. That is at least a full year younger than every club in the top flight bar Bournemouth.

The four clubs ahead of the Blues in the PL table – and the Liverpool side now level on points with them – are all significantly older.

Even Manchester City, whose own recent transfer policy has focused on younger players, remains on average more than a year older.

Maresca’s response when poor results were blamed on the youth of his squad was to say no-one was moaning when Chelsea beat or held with 10 men.

The Italian also noted a key error in the December defeat at Leeds was committed by Tosin Adarabioyo, his oldest outfield player.

From the start of his reign, Rosenior has emphasised lack of miles on the clock does not necessarily mean lack of experience.

Enzo Fernandez lifted the World Cup when he was still 21 and is only 25 now. was just 25 when he won the Euros with Spain in 2024.

And, most significantly, many members of the current Chelsea squad claimed the Conference League and together less than a year ago.

But doubts remain whether a team as young as the Blues can win the really big titles, the PL and the .

If you add together the total number of minutes played in the Big Five European leagues for each PL squad, Chelsea are in 14th place.

Three of the clubs below them are the promoted trio of Sunderland, Leeds and Burnley.

From five games against those teams, the Blues have taken only five points out of a possible 15. In the home games, they allowed all three to come from behind to claim a late point or, in the case of Sunderland, a win.

In contrast, leaders Arsenal have 13 points out of 15 against the promoted sides.

Chelsea clearly have more quality, man for man, than Burnley, Leeds and Sunderland.

But it does not feel ridiculous to suggest that, in nervous moments, they do not have a sufficient advantage in terms of experience, to see out games.

The line from the BlueCo ownership and their sporting director/recruitment bosses is this group of Blues players can and will grow old and win big together.

This season’s average age of the PL starting 11 is 168 days older than the figure of 24 years and 36 days across the whole of 2024-5.

But the coming weeks will show whether Chelsea are moving forward overall.

If Rosenior’s side are drawn against CL holders Paris Saint-Germain on Friday, they will be facing one of the few teams in Europe with a younger average age.

Stamford Bridge chiefs can cite PSG as the blueprint for their own vision.

Yet Chelsea still have work to do to earn the right to play in Europe’s premier competition again next season.

Sunday’s game at Arsenal and Wednesday’s trip to Villa – the PL’s two most experienced sides in terms of Big Five league minutes – could leave the table looking very different.

And if Blues ultimately fail to finish in the top five, questions will again be asked about their policy of recruiting young players.

Chelsea have the youngest squad in the Premier LeagueCredit: Getty

THE CHALLENGE IS REAL FOR CHELSEA KIDS

CHELSEA’S first team are not the only Blues facing season-defining games this week.

The Under-19 side’s trip to Spain on Wednesday to face Real Madrid in the Uefa Youth League last 16 is a big one.

Lack of recent success in the youth equivalent of the Champions League is one of the justifications used for the overhaul in the Chelsea Academy over the last couple of years.

The Blues were not even in the competition for the last two seasons because the senior side were out of the CL.

And on their last appearance, in 2022-3, they went out in the group stage.

Both Chelsea and have changed their U19 head coach since winning five out of six of their group games this season, as a result of high-profile departures in the first team.

Harry Hudson has risen from U18 assistant boss last summer to become head coach of both the U21 team and the Youth League side.

Calum McFarlane combined those two roles before taking caretaker charge of the first team when Enzo Maresca left last month and then being promoted to the staff of new boss .

Meanwhile at Real, the January sacking of saw Alvaro Arbeloa move up from the academy set-up and led to Julian Lopez taking over the Juvenil A team which competes in the Youth League.

Hudson and Lopez successfully guided their teams through R32 ties in February and now face the biggest test of their short reigns in the one-off clash.

Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah were in the Chelsea side which won 4-2 in Madrid in the quarter finals of the 2017-18 tournament.

But the Blues lost to Barcelona in the final and were runners-up again in 2019, when beaten by Porto.

And that 2019-20 season was the last time Chelsea reached the knockout stages of the Youth League.

Liam Rosenior could cast his eye over Chelsea’s youngstersCredit: Getty

HONEYMOON OVER

THE HONEYMOON PERIOD, we’ve all been there.

A term coined to encapsulate the sweet, sweet moments of bliss in any new relationship before reality kicks in and you start getting annoyed by the very same habits that were once endearing in your partner.

Well, Liam Rosenior’s honeymoon as Chelsea manager feels over and the stats are there to set the scene for a rocky patch.

The make-or-break moments which will determine whether he and Chelsea will be a successful marriage, or one that ends in a very quick divorce.

There is no doubt Rosenior has, overall, had a good start to life at Stamford Bridge in terms of points.

But the Brit boss has also had a favourable run of games, and the fact he has dropped points to Leeds and Burnley in the past two home matches has raised concerns.

And now Rosenior will face the fire.

The Blues, according to Opta, have the second toughest run of games out of ANY team in the Premier League, only behind West Ham, between now and the end of the season.

That run begins with away matches to Arsenal, the only team to have beaten Rosenior so far, and a trip to high-flying Aston Villa the following Wednesday.

Then comes a home game against Newcastle, before travelling to Merseyside to play .

Among that, the Blues face Wrexham in the fifth round, and may well be drawn against PSG in the Champions League Round of 16.

A failure to progress in either competition, and a bad run in the league will see critics turn on Rosenior, and historically with Chelsea managers, once that happens, it is hard to come back from.

On the other hand, if he and Chelsea are successful in a tough run, Rosenior will surely reap the rewards and fans will be behind him more than ever.

FANS’ PLAYER OF THE SEASON SO FAR

CHELSEA fans have had their say on the Blues’ player of the season so far, and it’s not who you might expect.

Not Moises Caicedo, not Joao Pedro, not .

But Robert Sanchez.

The Spanish stopper has become a treasure at Stamford Bridge this season, when last term, the majority of fans wanted him gone, with some begging for Mike Maignan to be signed from AC Milan.

A poll conducted by SunSport’s Lloyd Canfield on X gave fans four options to choose from: Sanchez, Caicedo, Pedro, and James.

It received more than 1,500 votes from engaged supporters and had Sanchez as the winner, with 40 per cent of the vote share.

Joao Pedro followed him very closely with 39 per cent of the votes – Caicedo received 11 per cent and James just 10 per cent.

Perhaps the answer for the Blues IS to sign more players from Brighton, as they seem to have turned out pretty well after all.

There was a barrage of responses critiquing no option to vote for Enzo Fernandez, but X only allows you to add four options to a poll.

Sorry, Enzo…

Robert Sanchez topped an X poll of votes for Chelsea’s player of the seasonCredit: Getty

OMARI ON FIRE

CHELSEA loanee Omari Kellyman is on fire for League One Cardiff.

Eyebrows were raised by the deal when it took place, with Chelsea paying £19million for the then Aston Villa midfielder, with heading in the other direction for £20m.

SunSport, when the deal happened, took a look into the .

But regardless of how it looked then, the signing may be quietly turning into a smart bit of business by BlueCo, as Kellyman is putting in some brilliant performances for the Bluebirds.

He’s bagged five goals and an assist in his last six matches, with two goals against Plymouth Argyle last weekend, as Cardiff sit top of the League One table.

One fan claimed: “That loan to Strasbourg next season will feed generations.”

Another added: “Clearlake, you’ve rocked my world.”

The number eight may well have a future at Stamford Bridge after all, if he continues on this trajectory, with another loan move expected next season.

Omari Kellyman is in good goalscoring form for Cardiff CityCredit: Alamy

BARAT HOME FOR ZONGO

CHELSEA are yet to confirm officially they have won the race to sign Burkina Faso wonderkid Mohamed Zongo.

But the young midfielder’s latest move off the pitch is a good indication.

Ali Barat and his Epic Sports agency have built strong links with the Blues in recent years, doing deals to bring players like Moises Caicedo, Nicolas Jackson and Kendry Paez to Stamford Bridge.

Last summer Barat was involved in finding new homes for Jackson, Noni Madueke and Carney Chukwuemeka.

Earlier this week Abu Dhabi-based Epic announced Zongo, 16, had signed with them.

The youngster attracted attention with his performances at the Under-17 World Cup. and Manchester City were both tailing him, but it makes even more sense Chelsea won the race with Barat now guiding his career.

Zongo will not be able to leave Sporting Club des Cascades for an overseas club until he turns 18 in November 2027.

Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Mohamed ZongoCredit: Getty