Liam Rosenior is a ‘nice guy’ who has ‘brought a nice vibe to the place’ according to Chelsea stars who sound like they’re describing the owner of a beach bar rather than the manager of a football club.
Rosenior won his first four Premier League games in charge of the Blues after replacing Enzo Maresca but just one of his last six in a spell which also saw them lose the Carabao Cup semi-final to Arsenal and get mercilessly dumped out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain.
Problems on the pitch preceded a rebellion off it during the international break as Enzo Fernandez “crossed the line” through his flirting with Real Madrid while Marc Cucurella also broke ranks and hit out at the Chelsea transfer strategy and managerial changes before admitting an offer from Barcelona would be “difficult to refuse”.
READ MORE: Enzo Fernandez is the Chelsea hill Rosenior is absolutely right to die on
Pressure on Rosenior was relieved through a 7-0 spanking of Port Vale to set up an FA Cup semi-final with Leeds, but a stern test arrives on Sunday in the form of Manchester City in the fight for Champions League qualification. The Blues currently sit one point behind Liverpool in the now coveted fifth spot.
Fernandez has apologised for his comments and Rosenior confirmed that his relationship with the Chelsea vice-captain is “in a very good place” after leaving him out for the victory with Port Vale and for the upcoming clash with City.
A source close to a senior player told The Athletic that the situation has indeed ‘calmed down significantly’ and that ‘Fernandez is not causing a problem behind the scenes’.
Another source said: “Rosenior has made his mark. He has shown that he can be friendly but also tough. Rosenior is not the type to hold grudges; he was a player himself. But this was a move to make a statement to the dressing room, that he is not scared to put you out of the team and the club is behind him.”
But the report also successfully confirmed some of Chelsea fans’ worst fears – that Rosenior lacks the authority to manage their football club.
The BlueCo hierarchy have confidence in Rosenior in part because he’s seen as having ‘a lot more experience’ than Maresca did when he took charge of the club. He had led Derby, Hull and Strasbourg in just over 150 senior games compared to Maresca’s 53 as Leicester boss.
There’s also an acknowledgement from players that Rosenior has ‘brought a nice vibe to the place’, which sounds lovely if perhaps not all that convincing a boon for a football club looking to win titles, particularly when added to the belief that he lacks the ‘aura’ of Maresca or Mauricio Pochettino.
A source close to the dressing room claimed that ‘some players’ appreciate the ‘manner in which Rosenior talks to the squad’ and that he is seen as a ‘nice guy’, as if they’re halfway through an idiom which might hint at Chelsea will ultimately finish under the former Strasbourg boss.
