Rosenior pleads for patience and understanding but it's hard to see it ending well for the Chelsea boss

Pressure mounting for Liam : Picture by @YTJourno

There's no disgrace to losing to a Man City who have the April scent of trophies in their nostrils.

Other Chelsea bosses have tried and failed since Thomas Tuchel guided the Blues to a Champions League final win over them five years ago.

After all, 12 attempts since then had come and gone unsuccessfully before the latest setback against the Citizens - a 3-0 thumping at the Bridge on Sunday.

But there is little doubt that this one felt a whole lot more disappointing than most of those previous encounters. The manner of the surrender felt unacceptable. Un-Chelsealike.

Chelsea were not too bad in the first half and created a couple of half-chances to suggest they might be competitive. But in reality, once City pressed on the accelerator, it became men against boys.

It is rare for Stamford Bridge to sound so quiet and so resigned to its fate long before the end. But that is where we are, and it is not just down to the undeniable strength of the title-chasing opposition.

Now, after five defeats in six games, it is starting to feel as if time might already be running out for Liam Rosenior and he is already pleading to be given the time he feels he needs to mould a winning unit.

"I need to win in this moment," Rosenior said. "This is a huge football club. When I first came, I never asked for a lot of time, because I understand this club and I understand traditions and the history of this club. I would like to have that time because I'm confident that in that time you can create something very, very special.

"Even someone as experienced as Pep [Guardiola] and Jurgen Klopp, when he won the titles he did at Liverpool, they had a year to sort things out. I've come in January. It's not an excuse, it's a reality. I need to win in the now and that's what I'll be focused on.

"Right now we are still in the race for the Champions League. We still have the possibility to win the FA Cup. I have to change it now. I'm not a manager that hides by saying we need to do something with other players in the transfer market. I need to change it now. That's why I'm here."

Speaking about the latest setback, the Chelsea boss conceded: "It's happened too many times where Man City start the second half better than us. That can happen against a good team, but what you can't do is conceded two goals in the manner that we did so quickly, one after the other.

"It comes down to resilience in difficult moments and making sure you are still in the game. The second half performance was nowhere near what we wanted or expected at half time.

"In the first half we were organised and very difficult to break down. Transition moments we looked a threat but the reality is that there's too many times in a short space of time where we go a goal down and then quickly followed by another, and that's just something that can't happen, moving forward.

"It's happened too many times where we've been in games against top teams - as against PSG for 75 minutes - but then we concede and the cards start to fold."

Rosenior is trying to mend cracks in the dressing room that probably won't go away. He has tried to exert his authority by sidelining Enzo Fernandez for the player's flirtatious comments about Madrid.

It could be that the Argentinian needed a rest after chalking up so many minutes of action this season, so a bit of public disciplining was conveniently timed. But it is unlikely to steady a listing ship.

"Enzo's a top player and a top character and I'm looking forward to having him back next week," Rosenior said. "Sometimes you make decisions not based on short term, you make them on what you want to see long term.

"It was a long term decision that myself, the directors and club aligned with the leadership group of players - to make sure that our values and our culture in the long term i in the right place.

"Enzo is now clear. He's had the conversations he needed to have. He's been fantastic in the last few days in supporting myself and the team and I can't wait to have him back in the squad."

'Long term' may be the mantra there, but the short term issues may well ultimately scupper Rosenior's dream of that long term project.