Liam Rosenior will have been hoping and praying for the perfect start at Charlton on Saturday night, and will be delighted that his Chelsea side avoided a potential banana skin.
Having decided against taking charge of Chelsea on Wednesday night at Fulham, Rosenior was in the dugout for the first time on Saturday night. The first of six games as Chelsea manager in 18 days.
Rosenior made eight changes to the side that lost at Fulham, with Tosin, Moises Caicedo, and Andrey Santos the only survivors. Thankfully, for Rosenior, his Chelsea side put on an excellent performance.
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Having been frustrated by Charlton’s low block in the first half, Jorrel Hato finally broke the deadlock with a gorgeous strike. Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez also scored for Chelsea.
So, did Joe Cole notice any differences about Chelsea?
Rosenior has had less than a week with these players and even less than that on the training ground. Over the course of the next few weeks, the new manager would be foolish to rip up all the plans put in place.
Charlton Athletic v Chelsea - Emirates FA Cup Third Round
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Speaking on TNT Sports after watching Chelsea tear apart Nathan Jones’ side in the second half at The Valley, Joe Cole said he didn’t notice much of a difference between Rosenior and Enzo Maresca’s style.
“His personality is different. The style of play, of course, there are going to be similarities. They had a different manager three days ago. The style of play was similar, it helped the continuity,” Cole analysed.
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Liam Rosenior shines in first game – how did Maresca do?
It’s a brilliant night for Rosenior, almost make-or-break. Such is the way that managers seem to come and go under Todd Boehly, and the poisoned chalice that is the Chelsea job. Just ask Graham Potter.
But it was perfection for Rosenior who will have been delighted with the size of the win, and doing so despite making eight changes. It is a much better result than the one secured by Maresca first time out.
Albeit, Maresca’s first game as Chelsea boss came back in August 2024 against Man City, Rosenior’s 5-1 win over Charlton will have certainly encouraged fans a lot more than Maresca’s 2-0 defeat to City.
Next up for Chelsea then is Arsenal in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, before Brentford next weekend in the Premier League, and Pafos in the Champions League. Three consecutive home games.
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