There is no doubt that Chelsea have taken a gamble with their decision to hire Liam Rosenior as Enzo Maresca’s replacement, with Rosenior putting pen to paper until 2032.
After a super spell in France with Strasbourg, the other club owned by Todd Boehly and BlueCo, Rosenior has been hired by Chelsea as a replacement for Enzo Maresca. It comes after the Italian’s public outburst.
The debate surrounding Rosenior is that perhaps the size of the Chelsea job is too big and too soon for a manager who clearly has potential, but is still in the early knockings of his career in football management.
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His stint as Derby’s interim was excellent, winning seven of 12. It was even better at Hull, guiding a side tipped for relegation to within a point of the play-offs, and it’s been stunning in Ligue 1 with Strasbourg.
Julien Laurens compares Ange Postecoglou with Liam Rosenior
While Rosenior’s inexperience is deemed risky, there is also an element that his tactics might not work in the Premier League. Julien Laurens described Rosenior’s tactics as “all guns blazing” in his verdict.
Speaking to ESPN FC following the appointment of Rosenior at Chelsea, Laurens suggested Rosenior may have to be more pragmatic, having seen what happened to Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham and Forest.
“He’s got that kind of relationship with his players. On that level, he will be fine. Can he make that step up? The Premier League is so much more difficult than Ligue 1. I think some of his principles could work.
“Let’s see the system, let’s see the formation, let’s see the ideas. Will he be more pragmatic, cautious, than he was – all guns blazing – in France? It worked in Ligue 1 but as we saw with Postecoglou,” Laurens said.
The French journalist continued, likening Rosenior and Postecoglou’s tactics: “Because there are a few similarities between some of their ideas, certainly with the ball, might be too risky in the Premier League.”
Liam Rosenior’s style is fast-paced ⏩
Does that suit this Chelsea squad?
What the Strasbourg fans are saying about Liam Rosenior’s exit
Also on ESPN FC’s show was ex-Chelsea ace Frank Leboeuf, who made the same move from Strasbourg to Chelsea a whopping 30 years ago in 1996 after playing more than 200 times for the French side.
Leboeuf explained that the Strasbourg fans are very unhappy that Rosenior has dropped them for Chelsea so quickly: “I’m sad for the Racing Club of Strasbourg. I know fans are very upset with that decision.
“But they know what it is about, and they know that with BlueCo, something like this can happen. The football he has shown has been very productive, very efficient. They were very exciting to watch.”
It will be Calum McFarlane in the dugout on Wednesday night as Chelsea take on Fulham at Craven Cottage, while Rosenior will assume managerial duties afterwards, his first game being Charlton away.
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