That all happened quite quickly, didn’t it? Then again, it usually does at Chelsea.

After Enzo Maresca parted company with Chelsea just 20 days after being crowned Premier League Manager of the Month for November, Liam Rosenior quickly emerged as the standout — and seemingly only — candidate to take over as Head Coach.

So why have Chelsea appointed Liam Rosenior? As current Head Coach at Strasbourg, the club’s sister side, he is crucially already operating under the BlueCo umbrella.

He also fits Chelsea’s ‘profile’: young, inexperienced at the elite level, and on a significantly lower wage than many of his predecessors. He should understand the system, then.

He’ll be fully aware that he’ll have no input in recruitment. He’ll have no control over which players are moved on and he’ll know that the club aren’t going to deviate from their relentless player trading model.

So what can he control?

In short, he must take care of matters on the pitch. Here is Liam Rosenior three-point plan if he’s going to get Chelsea back in the Champions League places…

Settle on a back four (or five)



Whilst Enzo Maresca left Chelsea due to his clashes with the Sporting Directors, one of the main criticisms levelled at him was that he chopped and changed his starting XI too much, particularly in defence. 

In 19 Premier League games this season, Maresca made a grand total of 25 changes to his back four between games, making two or more changes 11 times. Whether it’s Fofana, Badiashille, Acheampong or Tosin, Rosenior needs to settle on a centre back partner for Trevoh Chalobah, who’s seemingly the number one choice right now. Likewise, if he’s to play with wing backs in a 3-4-3 system as he’s favoured at Strasbourg, he needs to settle on a consistent back five. 

Too often, Chelsea have struggled to build from the back or have made defensive errors leading to goals, things that you feel could have been avoided in a more settled back four. 


Get more from the wingers. 



For all Chelsea’s vast investment at the top end of the pitch, they’re still not getting enough from their wingers. 

Having sold Noni Madueke, both Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho have flattered to deceive on the left-hand side, combining for just one Premier League goal between them. 

On the right, Pedro Neto has struggled of late. 5 goals and 3 assists in the league this season is an average return, but he’s struggled for consistency in recent weeks, breaking up so many of Chelsea’s counter attacks, whilst being particularly wasteful in front of goal. 

Given that Joao Pedro isn’t really a number 9 and Liam Delap’s fitness can’t be relied upon up front, Chelsea need more goals from their wingers.


Get Cole Palmer back to full form

Granted, he’s struggled with injuries this season, but the reality is that Cole Palmer scored just three Premier League goals from open play in the whole of 2025. 

You could argue that aside from the two cup finals that Chelsea won last season – where he was magnificent – he had a fairly quiet 2025 by his sky-high standards. 

When on song, he’s Chelsea’s best player and one of Rosenior’s priorities must be to find a way for Palmer to recapture his form under Mauricio Pochettino and the early part of Enzo Maresca’s tenure, where he was unplayable for large parts. 

Perhaps Maresca’s heavy possession, slow build-up style didn’t quite suit Chelsea’s main man. Either way, Rosenior needs him back at full fitness, producing the magic that we all know he is capable of.

So how will this play out? How can a man whose managerial CV reads interim boss at Derby, sacked by Hull in the Championship, and seventh-place finish with Strasbourg suddenly take charge of Chelsea, one of the world’s biggest clubs?

On the plus side, Rosenior seems a really articulate, smart coach. Those who have worked with him previously credit his work ethic, his attention to detail and his meticulous preparation. Wayne Rooney even called him the “best coach he’s ever worked with”. Add in that he’s familiar with the BlueCo infrastructure and you can see why Chelsea have hired him.

But the reality is that for as long as Chelsea’s decision makers continue to prioritise player trading over addressing their actual needs on the pitch, treating the club like a stock market asset, any manager at Stamford Bridge is going to suffer the same on-field inconsistencies and behind-the-scenes squabbles that spelt the end for both Mauricio Pochettino and Enzo Maresca.

Will Chelsea change their approach? Probably not. But will Rosenior fare better than his predecessors? We’ll find out.