Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea tenure is now two games and a week old, with the new gaffer watching his side smash Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup, but come up short against Arsenal last night.
Already, the new Chelsea manager has made 16 changes to his starting XI across the two matches. Eight in his first against Charlton and a further eight last night. Chelsea were unlucky not to get a result.
Andrey Santos, Josh Acheampong, and Marc Guiu remained in the starting XI but it was a substitute that took the plaudits for Chelsea as Alejandro Garnacho scored twice, his best 30 minutes in a Chelsea shirt.
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Rosenior knows his team now; he knows his squad, and he knows the qualities and weaknesses of each player firsthand. Important, given a point raised by Gary Neville when discussing Rosenior’s contract.
Gary Neville discusses the length of Liam Rosenior’s contract
Such is the way that Chelsea operate, going big on contracts to strike a loophole in PSR and hand out contracts that are worth five, six or even seven years, Rosenior was handed a contract until June 2032.
Chelsea v Arsenal - Carabao Cup Semi Final First Leg
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
It is believed that there is a year’s extension at the end of the deal, with Rosenior penning a five and a half year contract, taking him to potentially the summer of 2032. Enzo Maresca also got five years, plus one.
Speaking on The Overlap, Neville questioned why Todd Boehly and Clearlake had afforded Rosenior a contract that if he remains, would see the 41-year-old stay put at Chelsea until his late forties.
“A five-and-a-half-year deal with a 12-month notice period, which will be something like that. Why create that charade around him and say ‘oh look at us, we’re giving him this.’” Neville said about the contract.
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Maresca got five and the option for one more, too.
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Why Wednesday should convince Chelsea fans over Rosenior
The jury is still out on Rosenior at Chelsea. The win over Charlton was convincing and the performance against Arsenal was encouraging, especially with so many players absent and late changes made.
Rosenior had to pivot even within four hours of the game and take Liam Delap out, because the striker fell ill. But what should convince supporters is Rosenior’s usage of his substitutions on the night.
The former Strasbourg and Hull manager made the subs at the right times and those coming on made an impact. Garnacho scored twice and Tosin almost netted. Despite the loss, all the signs look positive.
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