There was a lot of criticism about the appointment of Liam Rosenior as Chelsea manager in early January. He’s a company man, he’s underqualified for the job, he’s got cringey clips online.
It’s all true, but none of it stops him being a good coach, and so far he’s proving that. He’s picked up great results, has a connection with the players, and is convincing fans and pundits alike. Honestly, his first month and a bit in charge has probably gone better than he could ever have hoped for. But the game against top of the league Arsenal on Sunday is the only thing that currently matters for Chelsea fans and will be the truest test of his stewardship thus far.
Even Jamie O’Hara, who is known for his Tottenham connections, had to admit in an interview with 10bet – who offer bettors a competitive welcome bonus – that Rosenior had done better than most people had expected.
Rosenior’s only defeats so far have come in the two League Cup semi legs against Arsenal, and O’Hara admitted that even those games weren’t so bad:
“I think he’s done a good job” the pundit said.
“He lost against Arsenal, but I actually think he set up all right against them at the Emirates. People say he’s too defensive, but I think he’s done all right. There are signs of Chelsea doing quite well with him.”
We’d agree that those defeats weren’t as bad as they seemed – the Blues showed lots of fight and energy
We’re also not sure anyone’s saying he’s too defensive – if anything there’s been a refreshing attacking move since Enzo Maresca left. It’s true that they sat deep (rather controversially) in that second leg against the Gunners, but that was a one off game against one of the best teams in Europe right now. There’s been no criticism of the new coach’s style beyond that.
Considering how little time he’s had on the training pitch (this was his first free midweek since arriving in early January) his impact has been genuinely impressive, and we can’t wait to see what he does with more time.
“I think Rosenior has actually done alright. Fair play to him.”
That was O’Hara’s conclusion, and we’re pretty happy to go along with that. There are tougher games to come in the weeks to come, where we will really see what sort of impact he’s had on making this team back into a contender.
