It’s been a weird period for Chelsea – after the removal of Enzo Maresca as boss, we’ve had two matches with an interim in charge. Then we had new manager Liam Rosenior for one, but playing a rotated team.
This is when it starts to get serious – we get to see the new man picking his first team and starting to give us a picture of his vision for the project. He’s such an unknown quantity in general – he had managed fewer than 150 games in his career before coming to Chelsea. Nobody really knows what he’s planning to do, and if he’s going to be a disaster or a huge success at Stamford Bridge. That’s why these first few games are so utterly fascinating.
If you’re looking for free streams for these games, this is the time to do it. Don’t leave it until just before kick off – you want to be settled in and ready for these fascinating fixtures to come.
First up is Arsenal in the EFL Cup semi final. It’s a first chance to see how what Rosenior’s thinking with the first team is, in terms of personnel and in terms of formation and setup. Up against one of the best teams in Europe (if not the best, as much as we hate to admit it), in a knockout semi, it’s a huge moment early doors for Rosenior.
Then we’re back to Premier League action. Brentford are not a big name, nor is it a glamour fixture. But it’s a tough game and another big test for the new manager. We were bullied by our West London neighbours in the last game against them, and we want to see signs we’ve improved, especially at set pieces.
After that we get a break with a Champions League home game against Pafos – a must win, but against weaker opposition. That will be more of a chance for Rosenior to show some expansive attacking football. How does he plan to break down low blocks, something his predecessors struggled with?
Think that’s January done? Afraid not. Incredibly there are THREE further games this month. Crystal Palace, Napoli and West Ham. By then we’ll have an idea of the direction things are going. A good run and we could be through into the Champions League knockouts and sitting pretty in the Premier League.
Of course, if things go badly, the season could be looking over before we reach February. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
