John Obi Mikel is often the voice of reason for Chelsea, and he’s not quite sure about the appointment of Liam Rosenior.
Chelsea fans have completely lost their composure with Behdad Eghbali following the sacking of Enzo Maresca and a string of other issues that have occurred at the club.
To go and hire Liam Rosenior as the replacement for Maresca is a brave move when you consider he’s got very little experience at the top level.
But, to the owners, this was clearly a safe and smart move on their part, as he’s already on the payroll and they know he’s going to abide by their rules at Stamford Bridge.
The last thing they would have wanted was for someone to stand up to them again after Maresca’s outrage at how some things were handled at Chelsea.
After the scenes at Fulham, where do Chelsea and Clearlake go from here?😬
Chelsea fans chant on Clearlake
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John Obi Mikel is unsure about Liam Rosenior’s appointment
John Obi Mikel never shies away from giving his opinion, and this time is no different.
He thinks that Rosenior’s appointment is a bit of a risk, with the reason being his lack of experience at this top level.
Speaking on The Obi One podcast, he had this to say.
“It’s a massive, massive job for him. Listen, I am for giving people opportunities. I am all for that.
“But at the same time, don’t just give people jobs because you want to. You give people jobs because they earn it, because the CV, their criteria for that job match what you want and the football club that you bring in them to manage. Now, does his CV match what the football club that he’s coming to manage?
“Definitely no, because he hasn’t managed any top football club. He hasn’t even learned, he hasn’t been an assistant to any top football club.
John Obi Mikel questions whether Chelsea have hired the right man…😬
Do you agree?
John Obi Mikel on Liam Rosenior's appointment
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“I can understand when you become an assistant for so many years, like Mikel Arteta, for so many years, then you get a job.
“I can understand that. He was never in a top club. It was Hull, it was Derby, Strasbourg now.
Strasbourg. It’s a different, different ball game. A whole different ball game.
“This is Chelsea. This is one of the biggest club in the world. You come in, you bring in a manager that has no experience at all.”
Liam Rosenior’s man management was also called into play at Chelsea
Liam Delap believes Rosenior will be a hit at Chelsea, which is a good sign at this stage.
But John Obi Mikel continued, rightly pointing out that Chelsea have some big personalities and he’s not used to being around players of this stature.
In defence of Rosenior, he’s off to a good start with the fans after taking time out of his day to talk to them and have photos before the Fulham clash.
However, with Arsenal in the Carabao Cup coming up, he will be right up against it.
“From what I’ve heard, yes, he’s a brilliant coach. He’s a brilliant young coach. He can coach and bring the best out of players.
I’ve heard that he’s good in terms of coaching. But you were coaching a Strasbourg team and a Hull team and a Derby team. This is Chelsea football club.
You’re talking about walking in and managing a World Cup winner in Enzo Fernandez, Caicedo, Cole Palmer. These are the players that he needs to manage. And at the same time, you’ve just said it there.
Liam Rosenior’s style is fast-paced ⏩
Does that suit this Chelsea squad?
Liam Rosenior stats
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“He has to manage the fans. The fans are not happy right now, which was going on at the football club. How does he deal with that?
“What is going to be the reaction towards him with the fans? How does he win the fans? How does he bring the fans with him?
“Because you need that. You need to carry the fans along with you. And if those fans are not happy, it doesn’t matter what you do.
“Once you lose one or two games, they’re going to turn on you straight away. And he has the job of doing that, managing the squad, what happens on the pitch, and dealing with the fans. He has to deal with that.”
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