A New Beginning for Chelsea

When Liam Rosenior arrived at Chelsea, the club was in a difficult position, having won just one of their previous nine Premier League matches. However, the Englishman has quickly made an impact by securing back-to-back league victories. A 3-1 win against Crystal Palace, thanks to goals from Estevao Willian, Joao Pedro, and Enzo Fernandez, brought Chelsea back to fourth place. This result came before Arsenal’s match against Manchester United on Sunday.

Four weeks ago, there was shock when former head coach Enzo Maresca left Chelsea after a disagreement with the club hierarchy. His replacement, the 41-year-old Rosenior, who joined from his sister club Strasbourg, has since helped stabilize the team.

Rosenior was present during Chelsea’s last league defeat, a 2-1 loss to Fulham, but he wasn’t in charge for that game. Since then, the team has had mixed results: they beat Charlton in the FA Cup third round, lost at home to Arsenal in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, beat Brentford, Pafos in the Champions League, and secured a victory over Crystal Palace.

Neither Maresca nor Mauricio Pochettino managed to win their first two league games as Chelsea boss, a feat that was last achieved by Graham Potter. Although Potter ultimately disappointed during his time at Stamford Bridge, this comparison highlights that Rosenior will be judged over a longer period. Rosenior is fully aware of this reality.

“I’m not thinking about being relieved or how I’m feeling,” Rosenior said. “I’m just focused on the job. That’s really, really important. We’ve got another huge game on Wednesday.”

Despite this, it’s a positive start for Chelsea, as they are set to face Italian champions Napoli in the Champions League, followed by a home game against West Ham.

Building Momentum Without Reinventing the Wheel

Rosenior has undoubtedly kickstarted momentum with a favorable run of fixtures that Chelsea were largely expected to win. Having arrived mid-season, and with two matches per week until at least mid-February—potentially beyond if Chelsea fail to beat Napoli and are forced into a two-legged Champions League play-off—there has been little time to work on the training pitch.

The Blues still look stylistically similar to the team built by Maresca. They favor a patient, possession-based approach, press high, and set up cautiously to prevent opponents from counter-attacking. However, a key vulnerability remains: set-pieces. Since Rosenior joined Chelsea, all five goals they have conceded have come from set-plays—such as long throw-ins, deep free-kicks, and corners.

Rosenior has focused on addressing other low-hanging fruit. He has encouraged his squad, the youngest in the Premier League, to be more aggressive, worked on improving team spirit, and spoken to the players about their ill-discipline.

Chelsea still primarily line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, but there are signs that, as with his Strasbourg side, they will become more tactically flexible. They adjusted their setup to face Oliver Glasner’s distinctive 3-4-3 system at Palace.

Rosenior explained: “I think today was a huge test. I changed the shape of the play. It’s hard to explain—it’s like a semi-four or semi-five at the back with Andrey [Santos] in between. For them to go and put on, from a tactical point of view, the performance that they did in two days makes me very pleased, because pretty much 95% of the press and 95% of the positioning was absolutely perfect. They’re engaged. I think they’re believing in what they’re doing. It’s one game. We have to make sure we’re consistent in every game we play.”

Improving Fan Mood Will Be Key

After the match, there was a positive exchange between Rosenior and some of the away fans, who appeared to be chanting his name. The London-born coach placed a hand on his heart and looked visibly moved. When asked whether he is already winning over supporters, he said: “I hope so. I’m very happy to be here. It’s a fantastic club with fantastic supporters. As I said, it’s two-way. I have to earn that—I’m aware of that. Not just me, but my staff, the players, the team, in our performances. And I hope that over time we’ll see that something good may happen here.”

However, there were also anti-ownership chants—now a familiar feature of Chelsea matches, particularly away from home. Despite that unrest, the club’s hierarchy, including the owners and sporting directors, have set high expectations for Rosenior and still demand Champions League qualification.

In Maresca’s exit statement, they said a change was needed to give “the team the best chance of getting the season back on track.” It may be early days, but Rosenior has made an encouraging start.

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