Liam Rosenior could not have asked for a better first week as Chelsea manager. All the noise coming out of Chelsea suggests the feel-good factor is back, and he secured a heavy 5-1 win on Saturday.
The intensity is up in training under Rosenior, and his work in front of the camera has impressed Gary Lineker. Even Simon Jordan has shared that Rosenior is likable even if he’s not in front of a camera.
Over in Strasbourg, Rosenior’s side was famed for its high press and constant running. A man-to-man style that has been compared to that of Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United tenure, among other teams.
While Rosenior is right not to change Chelsea’s tactics so much in the middle of a busy period in the season, there were slight tweaks on Saturday even if Joe Cole thought it was similar to Enzo Maresca.
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What Wayne Rooney noticed about Chelsea under Liam Rosenior
When Rosenior will eventually get his tactics and principles across to the players at Chelsea, he will have his side running a whole lot more, applying the press more often than they did under old boss Maresca.
Speaking on his BBC podcast, Rooney applauded the work done by his old Derby County coach over at Chelsea. He believes he had the Chelsea players running more than they have done all season, so far.
Chelsea's English head coach Liam Rosenior walks on the pitch ahead of the English Premier League football match between Fulham and Chelsea
Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP via Getty Images
“I watched Chelsea, Liam Rosenior’s first game, and I saw Chelsea players running harder than I’ve seen them running all season. I know he made a lot of changes,” Rooney summarised on the Chelsea game.
“But you get your rewards, and then your players with the ability and your match winners and players who can dictate the game will be able to do that so much easier if you have a work rate,” he added.
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Against Charlton, plenty worked hard. Jorrel Hato was the star of the show, and the defender basically played in two or three separate positions. Marc Guiu kept running up front during Rosenior’s first game.
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So much so, that Joe Hart described Guiu as the perfect player for Rosenior. But realistically, Rosenior is not going to be able to convince everyone of his tactics, or to get all of his players to properly graft.
Alejandro Garnacho for example, failed to provide a single defensive contribution or recovery on the weekend. Rosenior’s tactics will make or break Chelsea career but perhaps that is exactly what’s needed.
What is also needed, is a result against Arsenal on Wednesday night. If the Blues are to stand a chance of qualifying for the Carabao Cup final, they will need to win or at least, avoid defeat against The Gunners.
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