Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior explains why he is STILL living in a hotel as house hunt is put on hold

Chelsea poached Rosenior from sister club Strasbourg in January, shortly after the departure of Maresca on New Year's Day. The former defender has enjoyed a strong start to life at Stamford Bridge, winning eight of his 11 games so far, with his only defeats coming at the hands of Premier League leaders Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

The Blues are well placed in the race for Champions League qualification, sitting fifth - a position which could be enough to qualify for Europe's elite club competition next season given England's current strong co-efficient ranking. In this season's competition, they will face one of Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, Qarabag and Newcastle United in the last 16 after finishing sixth in the league phase table.

It's been eight days since Chelsea's last fixture, a 4-0 win over Hull in the FA Cup, and Rosenior allowed his players some time off, with a number of stars jetting over to Dubai for some hot weather. The 41-year-old, however, has admitted he has struggled to disconnect entirely during the Blues' mini-break and also revealed he has postponed looking for a permanent home for the time being.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Rosenior said: “The job never ends. Just a day. I managed to switch off for a day. For my staff as well. Not just the staff who have travelled with me. For all of the staff that work so hard and travel with the team.

“It's important for them to see their families. It's refreshed everyone and we need it because now we're coming back into a similar schedule again.

“I’m still in the hotel. I'll probably be there until the end of the season. I don't have time. I'm focused on this job. My living circumstances aren't a priority right now.”

Rosenior also spoke about the racism storm that has engulfed world football following the Champions League clash between Benfica and Real Madrid, during which Vinicius Junior reported alleged abuse from Gianluca Prestianni. The referee instigated the ant-racism protocol, leading to a 10-minute pause before the game restarted. The Argentine has since told UEFA he used a homophobic slur and not a racist one.

Rosenior said: "If I categorically heard racism and nothing was done about it, I would take my team off the pitch, I wouldn't play the game.

"I'm really lucky. I'm mixed heritage. My dad is black, my mum is white. What I learned in my life is everyone is pretty much the same."

The return leg for that knockout stage play-off takes place next week, with Real Madrid holding a 1-0 advantage thanks to Vinicius' brilliant individual strike.

Next up for Chelsea is a Premier League clash with Burnley on Saturday afternoon. A win would see Rosenior's side climb ahead of Champions League qualification rivals Manchester United, who aren't in action until Monday night when they visit Everton.

After that game, the Blues have another short break to recharge before they take on league leaders Arsenal next weekend, with Rosenior hoping to make it third time lucky after two previous defeats to Mikel Arteta's side. A tricky looking March also sees the west London side visit Aston Villa and Wrexham in the FA Cup before hosting Newcastle. 

They will also find out who they will face in the last 16 of the Champions League when the draw for the last 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals is made on Friday, February 27.