He only took over as head coach at Stamford Bridge a few months ago, but is already under huge pressure following their humiliating Champions League exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.
Liam Rosenior is already under pressure at Stamford Bridge (Image: Matt Impey/Shutterstock)
When Chelsea’s leaders hired Liam Rosenior – moving him from one part of the team’s business to another, much grander part – they knew what they were getting. They knew they were getting the type of character who would talk about “respecting the ball.”
They knew they were getting the type of character who would send tactical instructions on paper to players who were losing by six goals with minutes left. They knew they were getting the type of character they could turn into someone to have fun with if the results didn’t go their way.
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Or, at least, you’d hope they would. Because most routine due diligence would have told them that. They also knew they would have a manager who had never operated at this level before.
This is a whole new world for Rosenior. Whether you want to call him manager or head coach – and Rosenior famously gave a David Brent-style speech about these terms at his former club – it doesn’t matter.
He is the figurehead of the Big Six club, and dealing with everything that comes with that position will require much more familiarity than working with a group of players on the practice field. Rose Niall is finding out that the hard way.
But he has been in the role for less than two months for which he was not qualified. Never mind the Roman Abramovich era at Chelsea – which, by the way, now turns out to be an era marked by illegal payments – serious clubs give their managers serious minutes.
Enzo Fernandes has hinted he could leave Chelsea at the end of the season (Image: Sandra Ruhaut/Icon Sport via Getty Images)
That’s what Arsenal did with Mikel Arteta. It’s not shameful in itself to be turned over by a holder in the Champions League, but it’s a bit embarrassing to be turned over so emphatically.
However, Luis Enrique is nearing the end of his second year at PSG. The problem for Rosenoir is that while he may identify a number of players he wants to sell in the summer, that process is easier said than done.
There are many cast members on unreasonably long contracts. And a seemingly shotgun recruitment policy is at the heart of Chelsea’s inconsistency on the pitch.
Yes, this is a bit of a cliché, but there is a total lack of leadership in the world. Enzo Fernandes has hinted that he could leave in the summer due to PSG’s humble attitude. And while he is a World Cup winner for both country and club, there is no convincing argument to suggest Rosenoir and Chelsea should be desperate to keep him.
Liam Rosenior has been criticized for giving tactical notes to Alejandro Garnacho (Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
They may prefer clustering around the center spot, but this is a Chelsea team and the center is soft. Rosenoir can’t change that in a few weeks.
He has played nine games in the Premier League and has two defeats on his record, both of which were due to odd goals. The home draws against Burnley and Leeds don’t look too good, but the learning curve is very steep.
No, the content looks like it came out of a pseudo-management textbook, and is not convincing, to say the least. But Chelsea’s leaders knew what kind of character they were buying. If not, they should be the ones walking out the door.
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