New Chelsea boss Rosenior welcomes weight of pressure
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Jan 9 : Liam Rosenior said he was ready to embrace the pressure of managing Chelsea and unlock what he called the club's "limitless" potential as he prepares for his first game in charge of the West London side on Saturday.
Rosenior, 41, was confirmed as Chelsea's new head coach on Tuesday on a contract running until 2032, following the departure of Italian Enzo Maresca on New Year's Day. He is Chelsea's fourth permanent boss appointed since Todd Boehly's 2022 takeover.
"I think the (general) turnover of managers now is huge," Rosenior told reporters on Friday ahead of their FA Cup third-round tie at Championship side Charlton Athletic.
"The pressure is there from day one and if I wasn't willing to take on that pressure and privilege I wouldn't be here... If you are scared or fearful there is no point being a coach."
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Although relatively inexperienced at the top level, Rosenior's reputation grew after guiding Strasbourg to European qualification with a seventh-placed finish in Ligue 1.
His appointment was aided by the fact that Strasbourg and Chelsea share the same multi-club ownership structure, with Boehly's consortium, BlueCo, taking over the French side in 2023.
"When I went in at Strasbourg I was a joke in the media and they said that my team would finish last," Rosenior said. "I was a nobody from England and we finished three points off the Champions League places. The noise is just noise.
"I am not promising it, but I am working towards it and I believe strongly we can be very successful here."
NOT FAR AWAY
Rosenior's first challenge will be to arrest Chelsea's slump after a run of one win in nine Premier League games, which has left them eighth with 31 points from 21 matches.
"It's a tough run, it's a tough league," Rosenior said. "We aren't the only club that'll go through difficult periods, every club does. Sometimes a different voice helps, but we aren't far away and that's really important for the players to know...
"The potential for this club is limitless, and I won't limit limitlessness."
Rosenior got a quick reality check on Wednesday when he watched Chelsea lose 2-1 at Fulham, with fixing their poor discipline record now high on his to-do list.
Television cameras showed Rosenior sitting high in the stands, stony-faced, as left back Marc Cucurella was sent off for a foul on Harry Wilson 22 minutes into the game.
The dismissal was Chelsea's fifth red card in the league this season, a major factor in their struggles to live up to expectations following their Club World Cup triumph in July.
"It is one of the few things (disciplinary issues this term) that we can improve on," he said. "I know how we do that. I have spoken to the players about managing setbacks.
"They show passion and emotion for the shirt. It is making sure in key moments we react positively to setbacks."
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