Liam Rosenior’s experiments haven’t always gone to plan at Chelsea, but at least he’s trying to find ways to be innovative.
Chelsea started with Wesley Fofana and Reece James as the centre-back partnership against Napoli, which raised plenty of eyebrows ahead of kick-off.
Liam Rosenior put it down to being more aggressive as Chelsea chased three points, but Trevoh Chalobah and Cole Palmer were brought on to sure things up.
What crazy tactic do you see Liam Rosenior using next? 👀
Wesley Fofana and Liam Rosenior
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
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It’s refreshing to see these kinds of things being trialed, and the most positive part is the fact that he addressed the issue appropriately.
And in typical Liam Rosenior style, he’s already looking at conducting another experiment. But this time, it could work brilliantly.
Chelsea working on implementing long throws to their game
The long throw was Enzo Maresca’s kryptonite during his time at Chelsea. Even Lincoln City specifically planned to use the long throw tactic against the Blues before their Carabao Cup tie.
Liam Rosenior wants to take that ploy and use it to Chelsea’s advantage, but there’s one problem.
“I need to find someone who can throw it long first, judging from training. Football, you can play in so many ways. There is no right or wrong way. I just want to help the team win.”
Liam Delap would have been the obvious choice, as the son of Rory Delap, but it seems as if that was a part of his Dad’s game that wasn’t passed down to him.
In an era where we spend £1bn on technical players, is the long throw too ‘cheap’ for a club like Chelsea?🤔
Liam Rosenior wants to try long throws at Chelsea
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The long throw could benefit Chelsea
Chelsea currently possesses one of the tallest squads in the Premier League for the 2025/26 season, maintaining an average player height of 184cm.
Despite this physical advantage, Chelsea remains one of the least active teams in the air, ranking 18th for total aerial duels contested with just 647.
Operating with Joao Pedro up top doesn’t exactly allow you to load balls into the box, but it could work with someone like Liam Delap leading the line.
Rank Club Long Throws into Box (2025/26 Premier League season)
16 Liverpool 4
17 West Ham 4
18 Chelsea 3
19 Manchester City 3
20 Nottingham Forest 3
Although, for a Chelsea purist who’s used to the sleek, 700-pass chess-ball we saw with Enzo Maresca and other managers in the past, this may be a tough pill to swallow. And ultimately, it may take away from Liam Rosenior’s football identity; it’s quite the opposite of the free-flowing brand he promotes.
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