Chelsea’s dismal run of form continued last night with a 3-0 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion.
A fifth straight Premier League loss left the Blues seventh and looking at the possibility of missing out on European football altogether.
Chelsea had looked like real contenders for a top-five finish and qualification for the Champions League not so long ago, but they are now seven points off fifth-placed Liverpool.
Chelsea hierarchy 'aligned' with Rosenior
Inevitably, this terrible form - including an 8-2 aggregate loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last 16 - has piled the pressure on head coach Liam Rosenior.
Enzo Maresca’s replacement started promisingly, but an alarming drop off in recent weeks has put him in an increasingly precarious position.
Rosenior, though, has insisted he still has the backing of the Chelsea owners, with a crucial FA Cup semi-final against Leeds coming up.
Asked on Monday if he has the board’s support, he said: "100 per cent. They've been supportive of me in our daily conversations. We are aligned, knowing we need to win games of football now."
The Chelsea boss cut a more dejected figure after his side’s abject showing on the south coast, though.
"It was unacceptable in every aspect of the game, unacceptable in our attitude,” he said. "I keep coming out and defending the players - that's indefensible, that performance tonight.
"The manner of the goals we conceded, the amount of duels that we lost, the lack of intensity in the team. Something needs to change drastically right now.
"I think the players need to have a look in the mirror for what they put in. You can talk about tactics... tactics come after the basics.
"Having more courage to play, winning duels, winning headers, tackles, conceding terrible goals. That was an unacceptable performance tonight."
Whether or not Rosenior can arrest this slump remains to be seen, but more and more questions are being asked of an inexperienced manager in an unforgiving job.
