Liam Rosenior is at Craven Cottage to watch his Chelsea side take on west London rivals Fulham.
Rosenior was confirmed as Chelsea’s new manager on Tuesday and has had the opportunity to watch them in person ahead of his first game in charge this Saturday.
The Blues face Charlton Athletic in the third round of the FA Cup and will have Rosenior in the dugout for that match.
Marc Cucurella’s red card vs Fulham was Chelsea’s fifth in the Premier League this season! 🔴
How does Liam Rosenior solve Chelsea's disciplinary problem?
Chelsea players to have been sent off:
Marc Cucurella
Moises Caicedo
Malo Gusto
Trevoh Chalobah
Robert Sanchez
Referee Peter Bankes shows a red card
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
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Against Fulham, though, it was Calum McFarlane who led the Chelsea team out at Craven Cottage.
Calum McFarlane, Interim Manager of Chelsea, and Reece James of Chelsea applaud the fans
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Liam Rosenior tells Chelsea they need to start winning ASAP
Chelsea entered their game with Fulham having won just one of their last eight Premier League fixtures.
For Rosenior, things need to change quickly, with the 41-year-old making it clear that he is at Stamford Bridge to win.
Revealing what he told his Chelsea players before they made the trip to Craven Cottage, he said: “For this opportunity to come up at this stage of my career is great but my biggest focus is not about being Chelsea manager, it’s about being a winning Chelsea manager.
“That’s the message I gave to the players yesterday when I met them for the first time. We need to hit the ground running for the rest of the season.”
Having transformed Ben Chilwell, which player could do with some Liam Rosenior help at Chelsea?🤔
Ben Chilwell sends message to Liam Rosenior
Credit – @benchilwell on Instagram
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Rosenior’s tactics have been described as “risky” by French football expert Julien Laurens, while many see his appointment in general as a gamble.
However, Chelsea clearly believe in the Englishman after handing him a six-and-a-half-year contract. With Rosenior being at Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg, though, it was very easy to get him through the door.
Liam Rosenior manager of Chelsea ahead of the Premier League match between Fulham and Chelsea at Craven Cottage
Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
Why Liam Rosenior isn’t in Craven Cottage dugout
Rosenior would have loved to be in charge for the west London derby. The retired full-back used to play for Fulham before leaving them for Reading in 2007.
Before kick-off at Craven Cottage, Rosenior explained why he has not taken over from McFarlane yet.
“I flew over from Strasbourg yesterday morning. It’s a difficult timeframe for me to get in the tactical work that I need to get into to give the lads the best chance to win,” the new Chelsea head coach said.
Rosenior’s first Premier League game will be another west London derby against Brentford next Saturday. Before then, as well as their FA Cup tie with Charlton, Chelsea also have to face Arsenal in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.
These are certainly exciting times for Rosenior as Chelsea gear up for some huge games. It will be fascinating to see how he gets on.
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