‘I changed the shape of the play’ - Rosenior on his bright start at Chelsea

Liam Rosenior has made an encouraging start to life as Chelsea head coach, winning four of his first five matches in charge and guiding the club back into the Premier League’s top four.

When the 41-year-old arrived at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea had managed just one win from their previous nine league matches and were reeling from the shock departure of former head coach Enzo Maresca following a breakdown in relations with the club hierarchy.

Chelsea’s victory came in a 3–1 win away at Crystal Palace, with goals from Estevao Willian, Joao Pedro, and Enzo Fernandez sealing back-to-back Premier League successes.

The result lifted the Blues into fourth place, at least temporarily, ahead of Arsenal’s meeting with Manchester United later on Sunday.

Rosenior had been appointed shortly before Chelsea’s 2–1 defeat by Fulham but watched that match from the stands. Since officially taking charge, Chelsea have beaten Charlton in the FA Cup third round, Brentford in the league, Pafos in the Champions League and Crystal Palace, with their only defeat coming against Arsenal in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.

Notably, neither Maresca nor Mauricio Pochettino won their opening two league matches as Chelsea boss, a feat last achieved by Graham Potter.

Despite the positive results, Rosenior has been careful to downplay any sense of personal relief.

He said, “I’m not thinking about being relieved or how I’m feeling. I’m just focused on the job. That’s really, really important. We’ve got another huge game on Wednesday.”

He added, “I changed the shape of the play. It’s like a semi-four or semi-five at the back with Andrey [Santos] in between.

“For them to put on that tactical performance in two days makes me very pleased. They’re engaged. They’re believing in what they’re doing.”

Chelsea next face a demanding trip to Italian champions Napoli in the Champions League, before returning to Stamford Bridge to host West Ham in the Premier League.