The Liam Rosenior era at Chelsea is off to a flying start thanks to a dominant 5-1 away win at Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup.
Jorrel Hato opened the scoring just before half time with a stunning volley, before Tosin Adarabioyo nodded in a second from a well taken free kick.
Charlton halved the deficit thanks to some quick reactions from Miles Leaburn, but the Blues proved too strong for their Championship hosts. Marc Guiu added a third just five minutes later, before substitutes Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez put the result beyond doubt.
Rosenior appeared delighted at full-time and was serenaded by the travelling Chelsea fans, but will have to keep up this level of performance in order to appease certain doubters.
Here are four things we learned from Chelsea’s victory:
Roseniors style of play effective
Rotation was expected for this game, but many will have been curious to learn what sort of system Liam Rosenior would implement at the club going forward.
Coming from a Strasbourg team that saw success in a back three, some were anticipating a similar shift - but in reality, we saw several similarities to an Enzo Maresca system.
In possession, full-back Jorrel Hato inverted alongside Facundo Buananotte in the attacking midfield, in front of a pivot of Andrey Santos and Moises Caicedo. This produced a box shape in the middle of the pitch and helped Chelsea to maintain a player advantage in several phases of play.
On the ball Rosenior’s team were patient and calm, but passed with intensity and speed in order to create openings further up the pitch. They struggled to find routes into the Charlton box particularly in the first half, but grew in confidence after each goal.
A noticeable positive was their energy off the ball in winning back possession. Tosin Adarabioyo was placed in the middle of the makeshift back three and did well to soak up any long balls, while the defensive pivot of Santos and Caicedo were well placed and complemented each other well.
Tougher tests will follow and things may change depending on the opponent, but Rosenior will be nonetheless pleased with how his team have applied themselves in such a short span of time.
Fringe players gain confidence
A refreshing facet to Rosenior’s managerial style so far is the level of praise he has for his players.
It was his decision to leave out the likes of Cole Palmer, Reece James and Malo Gusto from the travelling squad: albeit, they all had small knocks from the previous match, but the Chelsea head coach insisted that the level of talent in his team regardless was good enough to get the job done, and they did just that.
Jorrel Hato scored his first ever goal for the Blues in style, arriving in the Charlton box and timing a half volley to perfection as it hammered into the top left corner. Hato seems to be a player on Rosenior’s radar, having also performed well against Fulham under interim head coach Calum MacFarlane - who is now a part of the first team coaching staff.
Marc Guiu has struggled to find first team minutes since Liam Delap’s full return but nabbed a goal and assist whilst getting himself into promising positions in attack. The 20 year old was energetic as usual, and Rosenior praised his workrate and tactical ability after the game. It could spell further opportunities for the Spaniard, and with the Blues still in multiple competitions this season, he could be a useful asset to have.
Then there is Jamie Gittens, who many expected to be phased out from Rosenior’s long term plans given his defensive struggles and a preference to play high and wide.
He was deployed in his favourable position down the right flank and was regularly fed chances with the ball; whilst he couldn’t earn a goal contribution, he did pick up some much-needed confidence and minutes in the team.
First team substitutes show promise
Cup games such as this one are a good opportunity for rotation, but we also got to see some first team players off the bench make an impact.
Enzo Fernandez and Estevao Willian made a strong connection down the right flank, with the latter regularly finding ways into the Charlton box. He won a penalty for Fernandez in the last few minutes of the game, which was dispatched with ease under the foggy conditions.
Pedro Neto also scored off the bench, his first in five games; another powerful strike which caught goalkeeper Will Mannion completely off guard as it snuck into the bottom left corner.
Striker Liam Delap was fresh from scoring his first goal for the club against Fulham, and brought strong physicality and hold-up play as well as efficient runs into the six yard box.
Chelsea’s number 9 could have very easily added to his tally, but Rosenior will have been satisfied with what he saw and will have several opportunities to tweak things in the coming weeks.
Tougher tests incoming
An FA Cup away tie to Charlton will have been a challenging but crucial first game for Liam Rosenior, and the victory can be seen as a positive first step at the club.
However, with the Blues still fighting in both domestic cups as well as the Champions League, games will come thick and fast for Rosenior and his staff.
A semi-final first leg tie against Arsenal is days away, before taking charge of his first ever Premier League game at home to in-form Brentford. Chelsea also wrap up their Champions League group stage matches this month, which includes an away trip to Italian giants Napoli.
Fans will hope that emphatic victories such as this one are a sign of positive things to come.