Chelsea

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We asked for your views on which manager you would like to see at Chelsea next.

Here are some of your comments:

Graham: Andoni Iraola would be my choice. Love the high intensity football, and he knows how to get the best out of the hand he is dealt. No matter what manager is chosen, they need to have more of a say on the running of the squad. Let's hope BlueCo has finally woken up.

Mak: Cesc Fabregas should be the next manager, period. His passion for the game coupled with Premier League experience and a bit of Blue in him makes him the top choice for me.

Nick: Too soon for Cesc Fabregas. Iraola my strong preference, because of his style of play and his ability to improve players and gel them into a team. But no decent manager will take the job unless they have ultimate say over transfers. That would mean Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart [sporting directors] taking a back seat. Or, preferably, leaving.

Peter: We need to stop looking at mid-table team managers and look for those with vision - the new Pep Guardiola or Jose Mourinho - but that requires the management to allow them to manage. The best manager Chelsea could have had in the past two years manages the US women's team [Emma Hayes] but even she would struggle with ownership intervention.

Clayton: Why are all the people who put down Liam Rosenior and Graham Potter wanting Iraola? He's been great this season, but so were Potter and Rosenior. I thought people wanted someone with experience at the top level and who can be a bit of a mentor to the players. Only Xabi Alonso ticks this from the list, although Frank Lampard is a proven winner as player and now manager.

Olu: We need a coach with trophies in his cabinet. No more trials, we need a winner and Xabi Alonso is the only choice.

Scott: It would be a real coup if we got Alonso in. He's a class manager and even at Real Madrid, the job he did was respectable. If there's one manager on the market who's guaranteed to take us back to top four and could have us competing for the league again, it's him.

Steve: Anyone but Marco Silva, he is the most underwhelming candidate; which under this ownership and sporting directors means that he is probably who we are going to end up with.

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Will Faulks
Fan writer

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Chelsea broke a losing run and picked up a draw against Liverpool in the Premier League, giving them a sliver of hope as they head into a week of preparation for Saturday's FA Cup final.

But is there any reason to believe this Blues team have a chance against Manchester City? Did they really show signs of improvement at Anfield or were they just up against a Liverpool team who matched them for fragility and disorganisation?

Certainly, the early signs in the game weren't good. After conceding after a couple of minutes against Nottingham Forest a week ago, the Blues made it just five this time before allowing Ryan Gravenberch space on the edge of the box to blast one in.

Despite coaches and players saying after every recent game that this issue is something they need to work on, nothing has changed.

What did improve a little compared with recent months was the response. Chelsea actually looked like a team with belief they could get back into the game, a huge departure from their usual defeatist shrugs and recriminations.

But the reason that belief was able to grow was the home team were so hesitant themselves. Huge gaps in midfield allowed the likes of Moises Caicedo to get on the ball and turn the tide. Manchester City won't give up even a fraction of the space Liverpool did.

If Calum McFarlane's team can defend well for at least an hour at Wembley, they might have a chance. If they continue their habit of conceding early, the game could be over before it ever really begins for a Chelsea team who are very lucky to be playing in this match at all given their recent form.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external

Juventus are considering a loan move for Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson. The forward is on loan at Bayern Munich but will not be with the German champions next season. (Bild - in German), external

Sporting and Portugal midfielder Francisco Trincao, 26, is attracting attention from Chelsea and Liverpool. (Caught Offside), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

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Chelsea have started to make contact with prospective managerial candidates as they move towards appointing the club's next permanent head coach.

Andoni Iraola, Xabi Alonso and Marco Silva are among those already known to be on the list of names to replace Liam Rosenior, who was sacked last month, while it is understood Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glasner also features in Chelsea's thoughts.

Former Flamengo head coach Filipe Luis and Como boss Cesc Fabregas, who both played for Chelsea, are understood to have admirers at Stamford Bridge.

It is hoped that a new head coach will be appointed well before the start of pre-season training in early July.

Iraola, Alonso, Silva and Glasner are all out of work, or scheduled to be without a club, by the end of the season which means Chelsea would not be required to pay compensation.

Blues fans, who would be your preferred candidate? And why?

Let us know here

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Liverpool and Chelsea.

Here are some of your comments:

Liverpool fans

Ben: Yet again, Liverpool look like the Liverpool from the 90s/2000s: a lot of hope and expectation, but no end product and struggling against teams that others have been knocking seven bells out of. Although it looks like Champions League football should be coming back to Anfield next season, barring a serious problem, it should still be with a different manager at the helm. Slot is not the person to take the club forward, especially given how backwards they have been this season!

Chris: Liverpool's greatest strength is arguably the Anfield crowd, with whom Slot's relationship is hanging by a thread. His job must be too.

Erik: Just flat, devoid of ideas and seeing the season out really. Really hoping for change and some spark next season.

Fuzzy: No pressing, no intensity, no identity, no passion. If Rio was subbed because of an injury, then fine. But if it was another Slot tactical change, it was criminal to take him off, because he was our best player going forward. As for Slot, no ideas!

Chelsea fans

Tristan: Finally, we have found some courage and confidence. Again, conceding early and a disappointing second half but this is a boosting performance. Although we are not going to do it, let's just keep on believing for Champions League football and pray Villa win the Europa League.

Andrea: I thought that we were much improved. We created chances and were on top for some parts of the game. We could have won it during the second part of the first half.

Edmund: Excellent performance by these Chelsea lads. Proved they still can put up a fight. Hopefully, once we sort out our manager's position, we will be back to our usual Chelsea self next season. But the appointment of our manager must be an inspiring and competent one. No more experiments.

Pete: Chelsea are a young team but they are not playing consistently as a team yet. Can somebody teach them to put in a well-managed game, with some flair, and know when to tighten up? Will anyone stay as manager long enough to do that? Everyone who knows football understands multiple managers within a season is a sign the owners do not understand.

Pundits Wayne Rooney and Ashley Williams join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Fulham 0-1 Bournemouth

• Sunderland 0-0 Manchester United

• Manchester City 3-0 Brentford

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

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This was the upturn in performance Chelsea badly needed.

After a six-match losing run in the league, this felt like a small step in the right direction.

Fan protests are planned on Wembley Way before next weekend's FA Cup final against Manchester City, but at least Chelsea will not go into that game on the back of another defeat.

If the losing cycle had continued at Anfield, it would have meant Chelsea suffering seven consecutive league defeats for only the second time in their history, and for the first time for 74 years.

They would also have become the first team in English football history to lose seven matches heading into an FA Cup final.

It was crucial, therefore, to stem the bleeding in a bleak spell that has already cost former head coach Liam Rosenior his job.

Monday's 3-1 defeat by a second-string Nottingham Forest side was a dismal way for interim head coach Calum McFarlane to mark his first league match in charge.

McFarlane can, however, point to a number of positives. He earned his first victory of this second spell in charge in the FA Cup semi-final against Leeds at Wembley and, now at Anfield - albeit against another side struggling for form - his selection decisions were largely vindicated.

The return of centre-back Levi Colwill, making his first appearance for 10 months, coincided with Chelsea switching to a back three for just the third time this season.

Chelsea conceded from Liverpool's first shot of the match and briefly lost their way, but they recovered to equalise deservedly.

It was not a vintage performance, but it was an improvement and something to build on. The decision to focus attacks down the left through Marc Cucurella paid dividends, Cole Palmer showed signs of rediscovering form within the system, and it helped Chelsea manage an attacking injury crisis, with four wingers currently out.

Chelsea remain just about in the hunt for European football, though there is plenty of work to do in their remaining two Premier League matches.

More importantly, they now have something to cling to before the cup final, even if Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side remain strong favourites.

Chelsea interim boss Calum McFarlane, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "It's a good point, a good performance in a game that could have gone either way. It was disappointing to concede so early, and it's something we'll have a look at.

"But I was pleased with the response. I thought the reaction was brilliant and I knew it was something we could do.

"I thought we played some really nice stuff, we finished the half really well. As a whole the effort, commitment, work rate and desire was good.

"Last Monday (home defeat to Nottingham Forest) was disappointing. We reviewed it and spoke about the reaction we wanted. I felt we got that and it's something we can build on."

On Levi Colwill: "Levi was the best player on the pitch. He was a leader. It was his first 90 minutes for a long time."

Did you know?

• Chelsea have conceded in each of their last 14 Premier League games, their longest run without a clean sheet in a single league campaign since a 15-game streak between March and May 1979.

• Chelsea have conceded nine goals in the opening 10 minutes of games in the Premier League this season, the second most behind Burnley (10) and the Blues' most ever in a single campaign.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Liverpool's performance

What did you make of Chelsea's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Arne Slot makes three changes from the side that lost to Manchester United last weekend.

Giorgi Mamardashvili returns in goal while Rio Ngumoha starts.

Alexander Isak is back on the bench but Florian Wirtz is out with illness and Mo Salah is not fit enough to return from a hamstring issue.

Liverpool XI: Mamardashvili, Jones, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Frimpong, Szoboszlai, Ngumoha, Gakpo

Subs: Woodman, Gomez, Isak, Chiesa, Robertson, Nyoni, Morrison, Wright, Ndiaye.

Interim boss Calum McFarlane makes five changes, including giving a first start of the season to Levi Colwill after his return from a serious knee injury.

Goalkeeper Rob Sanchez and teenage forward Jesse Derry are ruled out after sustaining head injuries last week, with Filip Jorgensen in goal and Chelsea switching to a back five to compensate.

Academy attackers Ryan Kavuma-McQueen and Mathis Eboue are included in the matchday squad at Anfield.

Chelsea XI: Jorgensen, Gusto, Fofana, Hato, Colwill, Cucurella, Andrey Santos, Caicedo, Fernandez, Palmer, Joao Pedro

Subs: Slonina, James, Acheampong, Adarabioyo, Chalobah, Lavia, Eboue, Kavuma-McQueen, Delap

There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Liverpool v Chelsea (12:30)

• Brighton v Wolves

• Fulham v Bournemouth - listen BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Sunderland v Manchester United - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Manchester City v Brentford (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Fulham v Bournemouth" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Man City v Brentford", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Liverpool face Chelsea at Anfield on Saturday (12:30 BST), with both sides looking for a late-season lift.

Reds hope to avoid landmark defeat

Liverpool's place in next season's Champions League could be confirmed this weekend, which would bring some relief in what has been a difficult campaign, one that captain Virgil van Dijk says has been "very disappointing" and "unacceptable".

Last weekend's defeat at Manchester United meant Liverpool's old foes had done the double over the Reds for the first time in a decade. Liverpool finished 42 points clear of United last season but look set to finish behind them in 2025-26.

It also meant Arne Slot's side have suffered 18 defeats in all competitions this season, the most since they lost 19 in 2009-10. Another defeat would be only the fourth time that Liverpool have lost more than 18 games in a campaign since 1962.

But they do now have the chance to bounce back against another big rival in the shape of a woefully out-of-form Chelsea, who have won on just one of their last 10 Premier League visits to Anfield, a 1-0 victory in March 2021.

Arne Slot said recently that the summer represented the start of a new cycle and he has a lot of things to sort out.

They include how to bolster a defence that has conceded two or more goals in 16 different Premier League matches this season, their second-highest such figure.

Chelsea's goal search

Bar an upturn in form and a helping hand from Aston Villa, Chelsea's minimum pre-season target of Champions League football will be missed.

Any hope that FA Cup semi-final success would permeate into their league form was quashed with their lacklustre home defeat by Nottingham Forest on Monday, described by interim boss Calum McFarlane as "massively disappointing".

It's now six league defeats in a row for Chelsea – another at Liverpool means they will equal their worst-ever such run of seven in a row, set in 1952.

The problems have come at both ends. They have scored just once in their last six games - Joao Pedro's injury-time consolation against Forest - which ended a run of 565 minutes without a league goal.

The Brazilian striker is Chelsea's top scorer in all competitions with 20 goals but it is in the league where his 15 goals have been most vital, given the lack of contribution from most of his team-mates, bar Cole Palmer.

Joao Pedro has been directly involved in seven of the Blues' past nine league goals, scoring six and assisting one. He and Palmer have scored 10 of Chelsea's last 11 league goals, with the other coming from an own goal.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch, Chelsea have conceded in each of their last 13 league games, letting in three goals in four of their past five.

The Blues need to arrest their alarming league form or they are in danger of suffering their worst league finish this century, which was when they were 12th in 2022-23, the first season under current owners BlueCo.

Liverpool still look like they will finish in the Champions League places even after their defeat by Manchester United last time out, but that result was the latest disappointment in what has been a poor season by their standards.

Chelsea have bigger problems, however. It is all falling apart for them and, after six straight league defeats, they are down in ninth place and absolutely desperate for a result here.

I just don't see them getting anything at Anfield though. Cole Palmer looks a shadow of the player we know he is and they are struggling defensively too.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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Saturday's early kick-off at Anfield pits two of English football's behemoths against one another.

Such status feels a little diminished however in a season where both Liverpool and Chelsea have flattered to deceive.

Consider Chelsea's current run of form - losing each of their last six Premier League games. Only once in their league history have they ever lost seven in a row, doing so in November/December 1952.

On the other side of the pitch, Liverpool have lost 11 Premier League matches, their most since the 2014-15 campaign under Brendan Rodgers, when they lost 12. The Reds have also lost 18 in all competitions, last losing more in 2009-10 (19).

It makes for ugly reading on both sides.

Defensively there are shared issues.

Chelsea have conceded in each of their last 13 Premier League games, shipping three goals in four of their last five. They last had a longer run without a league clean sheet between March and August 1991 (17).

To capture how long it has been since the Blues have had such a consistent run of conceding, Bryan Adams topped the UK charts with '(Everything I Do) I Do It for You' as that 17-game run was ending.

The Reds meanwhile have conceded two or more goals in 16 different Premier League matches this season – only in 2012-13 have they done so more often in a campaign (17 games).

So there you have it - big-name clubs making a mess of things at the moment.

A fixture which once lit up Champions League semi-finals on an almost annual basis now looks more like one where salvaging some pride is the order of the day.

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

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Fulham are in the dark over Marco Silva's future at Craven Cottage but remain keen to keep him, with a three‑year offer understood to still be on the table.

The 48‑year‑old is known to be among several candidates under consideration for the vacant head coach role at Chelsea despite having been offered a new deal in November.

Silva says he continues to need time to weigh up his decision as the Blues consider a list of options, which is understood to include former Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso and Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola.

Those who know Silva personally say he has ambitions to manage at the highest level, although he has also shown loyalty by rejecting multiple approaches from Saudi clubs.

It has left Fulham in the dark over the situation, but the club are understood to have contingency plans in place and have sounded out a number of alternative options.

However, their preferred outcome would be to retain Silva, who is understood to have a positive relationship with the club's ownership.

It leaves Fulham facing uncertainty, but also the prospect of a more favourable position than rivals Bournemouth, who know Andoni Iraola will leave at the end of the season, as the sides meet on Sunday while competing for European qualification.

Against that backdrop, Silva gave his most candid interview yet in his native Portuguese to DAZN last week, saying: "The club has been clear with us about its intention for us to stay here for more years."

He added that his focus remains on Fulham's final three matches as they seek to qualify for Europe, and that he would reflect on the season before making a final decision on his future.

When asked, Silva also did not rule out a return to Portuguese football, with Benfica coach Jose Mourinho linked with the vacant managerial role at Real Madrid.

Image source, Getty Images

Success in Europe for Aston Villa and Crystal Palace has a knock-on impact on what Premier League finish may be required to qualify for continental competition next season.

A host of clubs can still dream of a European adventure but the picture is ever changing.

Given the complexity, BBC Sport has unpicked the latest permutations on what might be required to play in Europe next season

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea interim boss Calum McFarlane has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Liverpool at Anfield (12:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• McFarlane is "hopeful" Levi Colwill and Reece James will be fit to feature at Anfield: "We have a few lads returning. Levi has trained a full week again. Reece as well. Looking promising. We've still got another session. We're hopeful."

• Robert Sanchez will miss the trip after his clash of heads with Morgan Gibbs-White in Monday's home defeat by Nottingham Forest, while Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho are "carrying knocks so it looks like they will be unavailable".

• On teenager Jesse Derry, who sustained a head injury on his Premier League debut against Forest: "It's positive. I don't have the knowledge or insights to go into detail, but early signs are positive."

• Reflecting on the 3-1 loss, McFarlane said: "It's down to all of us. We reviewed the game and we made some big mistakes in the opening 15 minutes. You can't do this at this level. Especially with our form, it hurts us a little bit more, but you can't make those mistakes. We need to make sure it doesn't happen again."

• He was asked about Jamie Carragher's comments on Sky Sports, saying Chelsea, as a club, is "broken": "Jamie's job is a pundit - he's got to give his opinion and I respect that. I can only speak on my experience at the club and there's a lot of foundations to have success."

• On raising themselves for the rest of the season: "We've got four games left - we need to attack each one and show our level, We haven't done that all season but we need to put ourselves in the position to achieve that."

• Asked how he is finding Chelsea's current position personally, McFarlane said: "It's tough. Nobody likes losing games of football but I'm enjoying and embracing the challenge. If we win, I enjoy it. If we don't, I'm frustrated and angry like everyone else."

• On fan frustrations: "We want to turn it around. We know we're not meeting the standards this club has set at the moment. I completely understand the feeling. We are as disappointed and frustrated as they are. We need to be much better in those moments. The performances haven't been good enough."

• On Liverpool: "They're a really good side with a lot of good players. We also have a lot of good players. We are focused on ourselves."

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Got a question about Chelsea? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

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The Chelsea Supporters' Trust (CST) says it "overwhelmingly rejects" the club's proposed changes to its ballot system.

Some of the measures were "sensible and long overdue", the CST said in a statement, external, but added the proposals lacked detail and called on Chelsea to "pause" and "re‑evaluate" changes to the digital ticketing system introduced this season, in line with Premier League rules, external.

It follows Chelsea's announcement on Wednesday that it will introduce what the club describes as a "ticket application window", which the CST characterises as a ballot allowing members with a minimum number of loyalty points to apply for tickets.

Some Chelsea members perceive the proposal as unfair or insufficiently detailed, with concerns it could allow access to tickets for supporters with fewer loyalty points.

The ballot is just one of a number of changes, which also include:

• All ticket holders being required to undergo ID checks in an effort to curb touting.

• Loyalty points being awarded only for attending men's first‑team home matches, rather than simply purchasing a ticket.

• Season‑ticket holders being required to attend at least 13 Premier League home games (out of 19).

• Changes to away ticketing, ticket exchanges and allocations in the family stand.

Chelsea say the policies are designed to improve the atmosphere and access to tickets for genuine supporters, while reducing touting - an issue that particularly affects the club as a so‑called 'big six' side playing in a London stadium with a capacity of around 40,000.

The club has previously said it blocks up to 80,000 bots per match from its online ticketing system and has increased investment in that area.

There has yet to be any update on ticket pricing for next season.

When asked for comment, a Chelsea spokesperson told BBC Sport: "Over recent months, the club has received feedback from fans regarding experiences with the existing ticketing system, including queues, inconsistencies and inflexible login times. We have listened to those concerns and are introducing a ticket application window to help address them.

"At Chelsea FC we want to keep improving the systems fans regularly use. Our priority is to ensure the process for supporters accessing tickets is fair, flexible and most importantly increases access for real fans to real tickets. The ticket application window - a system used by more than half of other Premier League clubs - will help to deliver this.

"The ticket application window will continue to reward loyalty and will provide new opportunities for fans to access tickets, making it one of the most supporter friendly approaches to a system of this kind."

They added they will "continue to work with the Fan Advisory Board to ensure these changes are delivered smoothly and will continue take onboard supporter feedback".

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

Some of you have been in touch using the Ask Me Anything form located on the menu at the top of your club page.

We've received questions around the ticket allocation for the FA Cup final.

Eyebrows were raised among some Chelsea and Manchester City fans when they found out their allocation for the showpiece.

Both teams have been allocated 28,700 for the Wembley fixture – over 2,000 fewer than City and Crystal Palace were given 12 months ago.

The finalists do tend to get an extra batch of tickets as the match approaches – both clubs did last season.

BBC Sport understands this will exceed 30,000 for both clubs.

Yet last season, Pep Guardiola's men ended up with 33,467 tickets.

That still leaves about 30,000 tickets outside of those given to clubs for the match on 16 May.

The number of tickets which do not go to supporters of the two teams always tends to raise questions.

These get divided among the 'football family' – volunteers, County FAs, local clubs and charities. Experiences by Wembley members get tickets as usual too.

Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions.

We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.

Find out more here

Arsenal and Barcelona are interested in Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, though they face competition from Manchester City. (Teamtalk, external)

Chelsea and Liverpool are interested in Brighton's Jan Paul van Hecke, 25, with Tottenham also targeting the Netherlands centre-back. (Teamtalk, external)

Meanwhile, Blues defender Wesley Fofana has been offered to Barcelona by his representatives. (Sky France, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

"We don't care about Clearlake, they don't care about us."

Amid growing anger from Chelsea's fans towards the club's BlueCo ownership, that chant has become the anthem of this campaign.

Monday's dismal 3-1 defeat by second-string Nottingham Forest in the Premier League means the Blues can no longer finish fifth - and are highly unlikely to meet their minimum pre‑season aim of qualifying for the Champions League.

It appears the moment of reckoning has arrived for BlueCo, who are now the target of an increasingly irate fanbase.

While the Clearlake chant only targets one arm of the ownership, it is part of a wider disconnect between supporters and the club, amid the search for a sixth permanent manager in four years after Liam Rosenior was sacked last month.

There is also a perceived lack of effort from players and dissatisfaction with ticketing policies.

Chelsea's most recent accounts showed a £262m Premier League-record pre-tax loss and Uefa continues to monitor the club under a settlement agreement from last summer that will regulate spending on players.

It is against that backdrop that BlueCo - the holding company owned by Todd Boehly and his allies, along with majority investor Clearlake - are on trial with supporters.

At the thick end is Not A Project CFC, a fringe but growing fan movement who are calling for major change - and have announced two further protests.

Chelsea have incentive-based contracts that include bonuses for Champions League qualification and believe they are broadly in line with the market.

This is reflected in the club having the third-highest wage bill in their latest accounts for the 2024-25 season. However, they have been outbid by rivals on occasion, including in the deal that saw Marc Guehi join Manchester City in January.

The pace of player trading has left some fans feeling cold. In an excerpt from his column in the CFCUK fanzine, founding editor Dave Johnson said: "Any rapport between the players and the supporters... to my mind at least, is at an all-time low.

"Ask any supporter of a certain age and they will tell you that, from the late 1960s, every player picked for the Chelsea team got their name chanted during the warm-up and they, in turn, responded with an acknowledgement.

"These days though, and much to their detriment, the current crop of players appear wholly detached from the people in the stands."

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