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Liam Rosenior is confident he will make the decisions at Chelsea, insisting he would not have agreed to take over as head coach if he doubted his ability to work within the club’s structure.
Rosenior, who takes charge of his first game when Chelsea visit Charlton in the FA Cup third round on Saturday night, was appointed after Enzo Maresca left in acrimonious circumstances. Maresca’s position became untenable after a power battle with the Chelsea hierarchy went beyond the point of no return.
Rosenior, who has signed a six-and-a-half-year deal, is aware of the need to manage upwards. The 41-year-old has joined from Strasbourg, Chelsea’s partner club, meaning he already has a good understanding of the requirements of his new role. Yet while Chelsea have a team of five sporting directors, give huge importance to the medical department’s advice on load management and do not want a manager calling all the shots, Rosenior still believes his view on key decisions will carry significant weight.
“I don’t think it’s possible to ever be in this job and not be your own man,” he said. “People will see through you straight away. I will make the decisions at this football club. That’s why I’ve been brought in. I understand. I know what’s being said in the press.
“But there’s no way you can be successful as a manager if you don’t make the decisions for yourself. The great thing for me is I’ve experienced working in this setup. The guys have been nothing but supportive for me at Strasbourg. We’ve had huge success at that club. I intend to work exactly the same way here.”
Rosenior, who watched from the stands as Chelsea lost 2-1 to Fulham on Wednesday, was questioned on the difference between a manager and a head coach. He was asked about improving his new side’s disciplinary record and whether he can manage expectations and relationships. “I wouldn’t be sat here if I didn’t think I could deal with those things,” he said. “Being a head coach, you talk about systems and tactics. That’s 10% per cent of the job. The job is to create spirit, energy, a culture. It doesn’t matter if you’re called a head coach, manager or anything else. The job is the same.”
Chelsea supporters have not warmed to managers hired since the club’s takeover by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. They were used to star names such as José Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Thomas Tuchel during the Roman Abramovich era but Rosenior, who was at Derby and Hull before Strasbourg, hopes the crowd will not be underwhelmed by his appointment.
“Everybody starts somewhere,” he said. “You’re not a name until you become a name. Judge what you see. Judge what you see on the pitch. Give myself, my staff and my players the chance to prove we are worthy. Judge us and be fair. If the performances aren’t good enough, I’ll be the first one to say. I’m the most accountable person to our performances. But give us the chance.”
Did Rosenior ever imagine he would manage Chelsea? “You don’t limit your ambitions,” he said. “I’m not arrogant. I’m good at what I do.”
Rosenior, who has longstanding relationships with three of Chelsea’s sporting directors, arrives at a febrile time. A protest against the ownership will be held outside Stamford Bridge before next weekend’s game against Brentford. Maresca’s departure has increased opposition to the project and there were constant mutinous chants against Behdad Eghbali, Clearlake’s co-founder and Chelsea’s co-controlling owner, during the defeat by Fulham. “The same thing happened in Strasbourg and 95% of the fans saw what my team stood for in the end,” Rosenior said.
One of the frustrations for fans is Chelsea’s focus on young players. It has been argued that they need more experience in the squad. “There’s nothing better than being on a journey with a group,” Rosenior said. “I was a Manchester United fan and I am now massively a Chelsea fan. I remember Sir Alex Ferguson was brave enough to put six, seven players between the ages of 19 and 21 in his team, in a title-winning team, because he believed in them.”
It was put to Rosenior that United’s youngsters could lean on experienced professionals such as Peter Schmeichel, Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister, Denis Irwin, Roy Keane and Eric Cantona when they won the Double in the 1995-96 season. “You’ll see in time what will happen here and the discussions we’ve had,” Rosenior said. “The project is about winning. I’m going to be working very hard on that and I’m going to quote that question that you gave me.”
Meanwhile, Chelsea have been charged by the Football Association after a bottle was thrown towards Aston Villa’s bench at the end of their match last month. The incident occurred after Villa fought back to win 2-1 at Stamford Bridge and led to the Midlands club complaining to Chelsea, who vowed to investigate.
It was unclear at the time if the bottle was thrown by someone from the stands or the home bench, but an FA statement said: “It is alleged that the club failed to ensure its players and/or other relevant personnel positioned around the technical area after the final whistle did not behave in an improper and/or provocative and/or abusive way.”
