In contrast to the drama that surrounded Chelsea’s appointment of Liam Rosenior as head coach, two weeks on there is a relative calm around the place.
Not that Rosenior hasn’t already experienced and packed in a lot – four games in four competitions with all that entails, including a monumental number of media commitments, and definitely not enough time on the training pitch, he says.
He’s not keen on reflecting or assessing events at Chelsea so far, preferring to live in the moment but does admit he’s “happy with the start” and adds “it could have been worse!”
“Six out of 10? Seven out of 10?” I ask him in our exclusive chat ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Crystal Palace, live on Sky Sports this Sunday.
“If you say six, I’ll take six,” was his response.
Crystal Palace vs Chelsea is LIVE on Sky Sports
Which seems fair – solid if not spectacular and the one game Chelsea lost was in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal which his side will have a chance to overturn in a few weeks’ time.
Rosenior did wonder what the reaction to his arrival from his new players would be.
Sunday 25th January 12:30pm
Kick off 2:00pm
Chelsea can boast some world-class stars who have won at the highest level but the “lack of ego in the group” he says means despite living in a hotel – no time to house hunt yet – and getting to know the Uber Eats menu a little too well, he already feels at home.
He said: “Managers came in when I was a player and you’re judging straight away. What they say, their mannerisms, is he nervous, who is he talking to, am I going to be in a team, did he work with this player before, is he a favourite? All of these things happen in the first week, you’re being judged by your players all the time.”
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Speaking on the Transfer Talk Podcast, Sam Tighe and Julien Laurens discuss whether Chelsea should cash in on Enzo Fernandez after the midfielder was linked with a potential move to Real Madrid
So who were those managers that left a lasting impression?
He said: “I remember at Reading and Brendan Rodgers’ first meeting, he had a list of things that he wanted to work on and where he wanted us to get to and that really impressed me in terms of how he delivered that.
“You are judged in every moment, and people may say I’m overconfident or underconfident or am I authentic, am I not?
“The biggest judge is the view of your players and so far I think their reactions in terms of energy, intensity, reactions to losing the ball, human values, they’ve been all the things I’ve asked for.”
He also remembers experiences from his time at Fulham early in his career that have served him well.
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Steve Sidwell believes the Chelsea players are buying into Liam Rosenior after a ‘superb’ Champions League performance in their win over Pafos
He said: “I was a young player, just joined Fulham, and the most humble, down-to-earth player was Edwin van der Sar, who actually happened at the time to be the best goalkeeper in the world. I’m finding the same here. The better the players, the more they want to learn, the more down-to-earth they are. Their image is different to who they are and I want to get to know who they are, to bring the best out of them. They want to do so well for each other and my job is to just try to enhance that.”
The current squad have had several new beginnings. Rosenior is the fifth permanent one under this ownership, so what sort of coach are they getting and would a younger Rosenior like to play for him?
“For me, I am myself. I’m not afraid to make a fool of myself at times. I’m not afraid to have a laugh with the players. I’m also not afraid to demand, to shout at them when it’s needed or to raise my tone. I’ve lost my voice a few times already in the last few days.”
I cheekily make the point it is quieter at Chelsea these days and there is the briefest of smiles before a return to the cool demeaner as he replies: “That will change hopefully. Our fans have been great home and away. I understand they’re questioning a lot of things at the moment. I understand everything and it’s normal because this is such a high-achieving football club. I’m very confident in time with what I’ve seen that we can be really successful.”
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Highlights from the Premier League match between Chelsea and Brentford
Knowing what he wanted to do from a young age led Rosenior to study every coach and manager who crossed his path, including for many years his dad Leroy. For all the brilliant ones, and yes that includes his dad, Rosenior admits he learnt just as much from those who were not so fantastic.
He said: “I always felt when a team felt like the leader cared about them, not just on the pitch, but off the pitch as well, that’s when a team performed best. I want to create a team that look like I had at Strasbourg. I know it’s not the same level, at Hull and even at Derby through administration, if you watch those teams, they all ran for each other.
“They all looked like they enjoyed what they did and I want that here.”
Creating a culture takes time which is a raw commodity among Chelsea head coaches but he seems to be making the most of every minute with his players.
He said: “A few of them have joked that they’ve never spoken to a manager so much in a short space of time. They are probably sick of me already. That’s my way of managing, that won’t change but it doesn’t mean that I’m their best friend.”
Chelsea fans will be hoping that approach will help reignite Cole Palmer.
Since his arrival from Manchester City in 2023 he has taken the Premier League by storm at times – simply sensational.
This season, after an impressive Club World Cup where he was named the best player, he has struggled with injury managing only 13 games, five goals and completed just four full games.
More than that, anyone who watched him score in Chelsea’s recent win over Brentford, the body language was off and the trademark goal celebration nowhere to be seen. That was before reports in the newspapers linking Palmer to a move to Manchester United, the club he supported growing up.
Rosenior had already spent a large part of the news conference explaining how his superstar Palmer was, despite the rumours, happy at Chelsea but conceded it has been a tough few months.
It’s not the first time the forward has been linked with a move away but Rosenior is insistent Palmer is here to stay and that the best is yet to come.
He said: “Cole’s a great lad. So down-to-earth, has a really good family around him, great set of values, loves to work and loves to play football. My job as a coach is to win games, to maximise the potential of the players. They maximise their potential, you end up winning games. So not just Cole, but every member of the squad will understand very quickly that they’re important to me.
Rosenior embraces Cole Palmer after the win over Brentford
“Not just how they perform on the pitch, not just how they’ve trained or how they’ve played, that they’re happy in their lives. It’s the best job in the world. I’m too old to play football. I didn’t enjoy it enough and I actually found when I enjoyed playing football was when I was at my best. So it’s not about being their best friend or arm around the shoulder it’s about being able to get to know someone to a point where you can push them further than what they are probably used to. So for Cole, for all the players, it’s the same.”
The confidence of the squad who went into last weekend’s game with Brentford with one Premier League win in nine is beginning to return. Rosenior has though, after a difficult Champions League game with Pafos in midweek, reminded his side including some of those big stars, that not so long ago they were lifting the Club World Cup and the Conference League.
He believes his side are not far away especially in a league that is proving very open this season. The next challenge for Rosenior and his side is addressing their form away from Stamford Bridge. Their last league victory on the road came against Burnley on November 22 and if Champions League is the ambition this season that needs to be rectified.
Starting on Sunday at Crystal Palace.
Watch Crystal Palace vs Chelsea live on Sky Sports Premier League from 1pm on Sunday; kick-off 2pm