Liam Rosenior has been sacked by Chelsea after a poor run of results and Cesc Fabregas has been linked with a return to Stamford Bridge
Liam Rosenior, Manager of Chelsea, acknowledges the fans after the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea
Liam Rosenior's spell as Chelsea manager has come to an end(Image: Getty)
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Chelsea have sacked manager Liam Rosenior after a run of five defeats without scoring. Ex-Blues midfielder Cesc Fabregas, currently boss of Italian side Como 1907, is on a speculative shortlist to replace him.
Rosenior arrived at Stamford Bridge in January and despite some promising early results, he has been shown the exit. A 3-0 defeat to Brighton on Tuesday, in which his side failed to register a shot on target, was the final straw.
A host of names have been suggested as successors. Fabregas is one of those names as he has impressed in Italy, with his side eyeing up Champions League qualification having only been promoted to Serie A in 2024.
Fabregas officially took charge as Como manager in 2024 after gaining his UEFA Pro License and hasn't looked back. Before this, after his 2023 retirement, he worked at the club as Under-19s manager.
The formation Fabregas utilises in Italy is incredibly fluid. On paper, it is a 4-2-3-1 formation, with a lone striker, a back four and a single pivot in a box midfield. But when the match begins, this immediately changes.
In possession, his team overloads the centre of the pitch, with the two wingers in his formation tucking into midfield as more centralised No. 10s and the full-backs pushing higher up.
Ivan Smolcic participates in the Coppa Italia-Frecciarossa 2025-2026 match between Inter and Como
Fabregas has excelled as Como manager(Image: Getty)
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A regular 4-2-2-2 is used when attacking, with this set-up breaking the lines during counterattacks. In possession, his team generally transitions into a 4-1-4-1, with full-backs tucking in and wingers dropping back.
Fabregas also has his team set up differently during build-up play and he does switch things up from time to time. In the Coppa Italia semi-final second leg against Inter on Tuesday, he organised his team in a back five to counter their opponents' wing-backs.
If the 38-year-old were to get the Chelsea job, he would likely deploy his team in the favoured 4-2-3-1 and he'd no doubt have the players to do so. The former boss often set up his team in a similar way.
Reece James of Chelsea speaks with Marc Cucurella of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge
James and Cucurella could form part of Fabregas' backline(Image: Getty)
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Tasos Douvikas currently leads the line at Como and Fabregas likes his strikers to have a tireless work rate, be aggressive in the press and be strong in duels. While Liam Delap fits this mould, he has disappointed so far with Chelsea and there is a marksman who fits the blueprint currently tearing up the Premier League.
Nico Paz of Como 1907 during the Coppa Italia match between FC Internazionale and Como at San Siro
Paz is crucial to his manager's tactics(Image: Getty)
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