Some bits on Liam Rosenior

Of course I have big concerns, but there's many bits to like - a bit of a coaching profile here

I’m certainly not going to start saying that I’m buzzing to have appointed Liam Rosenior as our new head coach or pretend that it’s some incredible appointment.

It’s underwhelming, it was obvious, and it was very easy to do. Rosenior had been primed for a future role as Chelsea boss for some time now.

But as I’ve said, I will be fully backing him and supporting him as our new manager. I'll get behind any Chelsea manager until they give me reason not to. Club over anything else. Chelsea FC comes first and is way more than staff, owners, players - who all come and go.

But at the same time, there is a lot to like about Liam and some very positive signs as well. You can also not blame him for wanting to take this job - you can clearly see that he sees this as a dream opportunity.

I have no doubt at all that he will take this fully seriously and put literally every inch of what he’s got into it and trying to make us succeed again.

He also has a connection to the club, having spent some time in the academy as a player. I’m not saying he’s Chelsea born and bred, but he will have some affiliation through that.

Playing-wise, he was a pretty decent full back, making 7 appearances for the England U21 team.

He never really got to dizzy heights in his playing career, but he did get a lot of experience playing for clubs such as Fulham, Reading, and Hull City.

Where did he end his playing career? Yep, that’s right, Brighton. It just HAD to be Brighton, right? You cannot make it up!

He then joined Wayne Rooney’s coaching staff at Derby County after a short time under Philip Cocu, and as you would have seen this week, the former England striker was literally raving about Rosenior and he really rates him. Liam then became the interim manager of Derby when Rooney was sacked.

Liam then went on to manage Hull City and then Strasbourg, doing two years at each club. He’s been coaching as a first manager since 2022.

From what I have seen and heard this week, he has a lot about him. He is very firm, but very fair. He speaks well and is super intelligent, emotionally and academically. He’s certainly no walk over either.

In modern football, you need to be able to put an arm around a shoulder at the right time, to be able to read different personalities and realise every player needs to be approached differently, but to also be able to drop the hammer when you need to. I have no doubt that Liam is very good at all of that.

I believe the players at Chelsea will grow to like him a lot as a person, and when a player likes a manager as a person, it can help to go a long way to building togetherness and have them not only working hard for themselves and for the fans, but for their manager too.

Liam puts a big emphasis on strong mentalities and he sees that as more important than tactics, something that I have spoken about recently and agree with. You can be the most skilful player in the world, but if you have a bad attitude and lack confidence, belief, and a strong mentality, you can often just fade away or ghost games.

Tactically, I guess he can be described as a modern day coach who likes to keep control and have the majority of possession - this is what Chelsea as a club wants and why they would have only hire a manager who focuses primarily on that.

But I’ve also heard he is a flexible coach too, one who can switch to a Plan B and a Plan C if needed, and this is a good thing for sure.

After he retired from playing at Brighton in 2018, Liam joined the Seagulls' under-23 setup as an assistant coach. At the same time, he worked as a pundit on Sky Sports' coverage of the Football League. I remember seeing him on there and also seeing clips since then and thinking that he was a superb pundit and spoke with great football knowledge and intelligence, something that is actually kind of rare amongst former players.

In his first season as Strasbourg boss, Liam got a seventh-place finish and secured a spot in the UEFA Conference League, the first time Strasbourg had qualified for Europe in 19 years.

Rosenior is known for an attacking, high-possession brand of football. His Strasbourg team played the fewest long passes in Europe’s top-five leagues last season. Personally, I’m not sure that’s a good thing, but anyway….

In an interview with BBC Football Focus, Rosenior cited Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola as a key stylistic influence.

“Pep Guardiola is the ultimate, for me, in terms of how he’s changed the game, how brave he’s been, how he’s inspired the next generation of goals,” he said. “For me, he’s the ultimate.”

Rosenior has claimed that his coaching has been informed by his work in the media, and also cites both NFL legend Bill Belichick and Wayne Rooney as key influences.

Rosenior employs a fluid formation which often moves from 3-2-5 in possession and 4-3-3 out of it, with a high press, although there are variations depending upon the opponent.

Media-savvy, articulate and already well versed in the complexities around BlueCo’s multi-club ownership, you can see why Chelsea have turned to him in this moment where they needed a quick turnaround.

But I’ve also heard that they see him as being much smarter in front of the cameras and in public.

Rosenior gained his pro-licence aged just 32 and has always seen himself as a student of the game. As a player, if he was ever injured or out of the team, he would often watch the game from the mouth of the tunnel, so he could practise making snapshot decisions from the touchline.

One of the most striking themes in Rosenior’s coaching philosophy is his belief that management is fundamentally about human relationships.

As he put it in an interview with the EFL back in 2023, “For me, being a manager is mainly about people skills.”

He consistently emphasises honesty, integrity and care as the foundations of any successful team environment, adding: "If you’re honest, if you have integrity and if you care about one another, I think you can go a really long way."

Some tactical snippets from Chelsea analyst Conor Holden:

Final third pace injection

Despite playing slowly in the first phase, looking to bait the press and patiently wait for openings, Rosenior wants his side to turn the speed dial once they find the initial final third entry

🔹Builders ~ whether it be within the most common 3-2 base shape or if it takes shape of a 3-1 with another midfielder looking to play behind the opposition midfield line, this unit will often drop below the first line of pressure to bait with a high volume of touches & passes

🔹Creators ~ the unit looking to play behind the opposition midfield lines have the freedom to move and offer passing angles, and license to find solutions once the ball comes through ~ connections are key

🔹Arrivals ~ by often splitting the two units, it allows space in between for give and goes, drop and go movements and opportunities for players to arrive with separation from their marker in this “between” phase

Interactivity

One aspect that Chelsea fans could enjoy under Rosenior, and something that could inspire some lovely patterns of play, is the interactivity down the sides

▫️Enciso (right inside forward/RHS) ~ comes all the way over towards the ball, looking to combine in close proximity

▫️Outarra (LHS) is already close with Moreira (LW) ~ crossover movements

▫️Chilwell (LB/LCB) ~ offering below, but can also run beyond

Estevao & Palmer both drifting ball side 🤝 connections

Defensive principles

Rosenior himself has stated he “used to be a zonal guy”, but he now favours a man oriented approach

🔹Whether it’s a winger tucking into a back five or a back five on paper ~ Rosenior will match up against five forwards with five in the last line

🔹5-2-3/5-4-1 block ~ wide CBs in the line of five stepping into the half space (aggressive & proactive)

🔹Profiles matter ~ Outarra used to protect half spaces in certain games, inside & outside profiles

Profiling will be one of the most interesting things to see early doors from Rosenior

Against PSG, Outarra (LWB) inverted on the ball, with Diego Moreira playing as the left inside forward on paper, but actually holding the width

Panichelli (ST) holding width on the right in the first phase ~ moving central as play progresses ~ Guela Doue moving up to hold width on the right

(Note ~ this is just one example, profiles decide who goes where)

Chelsea?

🔹Delap RW outlet -> CF

🔹Pedro Neto and/or Gusto holding width?

🔹Cole & Estevao central together in possession?

Build up influence

Watching back LOADS of Strasbourg the past few days for work, and while Rosenior has spoke about the influence of Roberto De Zerbi before, there’s something giving me a hint of Unai Emery here too

A few numbers:

▫️Strasbourg average 228.1 touches in the defensive third per 90 this season (4th highest in European top 5 leagues)

▫️Strasbourg average 3.4 through balls per 90 (3rd in European T5)

▫️Strasbourg average 52.8 long balls attempted per 90 (2nd FEWEST in European T5 ~ only Barcelona with fewer)

▫️Strasbourg average 11.0 shots per 90 (70th in European T5)

▫️Strasbourg average 0.14 npxG per 90 this season (joint 1st with Bayern in European T5)

Rosenior wants to…

🔹Bait pressure with his build up ~ wants his team to show bravery in the first phase

🔹Exploit and take the space that opens

🔹Create high xG chances rather than high volume (intrigued to see how much changes with a better squad and more demands)

Strasbourg being in and around 7th is a similar story to Villa being on the outskirts of the “big six” when it comes to expectations ~ a draw isn’t enough, you have to take initiative.

Conor will have a full video out soon that I will try to remember to share, it will be well worth the watch.

Bad points

Of course, there will be negatives and major question marks.

As with Enzo Maresca, there will be a section of Chelsea fans who will be frustrated with this style of football, find it too slow, or too boring. I think that will be inevitable. But if results come, I’m not sure that style of play will matter too much, it’s all about results.

Will Rosenior get annoyed with outside influence, lack of backing in the market? Well, you’d hope he will be fully aware of what could happen here now and just expect it. But he is certainly not someone who is afraid to speak his mind. I could foresee a clash to be honest, that does concern me.

Is the job too big? Stepping up brings so much pressure and is intense. Rosenior has to win and he has to win from the start. There’s no time for any ‘bedding in’ and hopefully he will know this (he will). We need results. We need to at least qualify for the Champions League this season. There is a lot of pressure coming with this big step up, only time will tell if he is built for it. My instincts is that he is and it would take a lot to bring him down, but this is certainly another big concern for me. We all see what happens when fans turn if results and performances aren’t good enough. There is rightfully an expectation at Chelsea and there always will be. We must never let standards slip.

But all in all, I like Liam as a person and as a coach he does intrigue me. Time will tell, but of course I’ll be fully behind him from the moment he takes charge of his first game on Saturday night.

I’m not going to pretend I’m full of excitement or too much hope for the future, because I’m really not. But I am willing Liam to do well and to get us back to where we need to be. I think this is a make or break moment now for our owners.

Simon Phillips