Chelsea fans will get their first sight of Liam Rosenior on Wednesday night, with the new manager set to be in the stands for the clash against West London rivals Fulham.
Rosenior has been appointed as Enzo Maresca’s replacement in the Chelsea dugout after starring in Ligue 1 as Strasbourg manager. It might seem a simple pick to most, given that BlueCo owns both clubs.
But Rosenior has been picked for more than just being on Todd Boehly’s payroll. Indeed, Chelsea sources believe Rosenior will do two things that Enzo Maresca didn’t do, like listening to the Blues’ medical staff.
Having transformed Ben Chilwell, which player could do with some Liam Rosenior help at Chelsea?🤔
Calum McFarlane will be given the reins for a second match after helping Chelsea come from behind to draw late on against Man City at The Etihad on Sunday. But Rosenior will be in the stands, watching on.
Trevor Sinclair shares what Liam Rosenior is like behind the scenes
Another element that is sure to have convinced Chelsea bosses that Rosenior can be the right man for the job is his ability to work with young players. He did so at Derby and at Hull, but more so at Strasbourg.
Rosenior guided Strasbourg back into Europe with one of the youngest squads in Europe’s top-five leagues, and Chelsea boasts a young squad themselves. Trevor Sinclair spoke about Rosenior this week.
The former England star told Stadium Astro that he has been involved in a few meetings with Rosenior, and shared what he is like off-camera. He also said the culture created at Strasbourg is “outstanding”.
“I was in Strasbourg at the end of last season, watched a bit of training and was in a few meetings with Liam. You can tell the culture he has created at that football club is outstanding,” Sinclair said on Rosenior.
“Youngest starting XI in the top-five European leagues. He demands things from the players, but it is a nurturing environment and coming into a young Chelsea squad, that will suit him,” Sinclair added.
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Liam Rosenior’s Strasbourg stats should excite Chelsea fans
Rosenior is fire and ice. A cool, charismatic head in front of the camera, a young manager with bright ideas who speaks incredibly well. Where Maresca struggled with the media, Rosenior will sparkle.
That means he becomes less of a concern for Todd Boehly. But, on the pitch, Rosenior is pure theatre. The Englishman adopted a similar style to Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds spell, man for man, constant running.
Pure chaos. It remains to be seen if he will bring that to England and with Chelsea, but it certainly worked with Strasbourg, winning 31 of his 63 games in all competitions for the Ligue 1 side during his stint.
Chelsea fans will have to wait until Saturday evening before they get to see Rosenior in action, when Chelsea take on Charlton at The Valley in the third round of The FA Cup. But he will be watching tonight.
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