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Liam Rosenior took his first press conference as Chelsea head coach on Friday afternoon ahead of his debut in the dugout away at Charlton Athletic on Saturday evening
Liam Rosenior arrived two minutes early for his first press conference as Chelsea head coach and he used that time to greet every single journalist in the room.
A small gesture but one that he did not have to do, and one that not all managers do. Rosenior, who was announced as the new Blues boss earlier in the week, would have known prior to walking into the room the sort of questions he would be asked. There are big question marks over the 41-year-old’s appointment. Rosenior has never managed in the Premier League before and the magnitude of working at a club like Chelsea is something the former Strasbourg head coach will not be used to.
From the off, though, Rosenior came out fighting; answering some difficult questions with poise and assurance. He turned many potentially negative questions into positive answers - and even joked with one reporter about how the media tend to focus on the negatives.
Rosenior is an incredibly confident man, but was eager for that not to be twisted for arrogance. "I just said do not limit your ambitions," said Rosenior. "I'm not arrogant. I am good at what I do. And in every job that I've worked, whether it was an interim, as an assistant, as a head coach or a manager, whatever you want to call it, relative to the group I've worked with, I've been successful."
For all of his confidence, an enormous challenge awaits Rosenior. Chelsea have won just two of their last 11 matches in all competitions. Rosenior is also trying to be the exception in the BlueCo model at Stamford Bridge, with the four permanent head coaches before him under the current ownership all leaving the club after short spells. Enzo Maresca's 18-month reign is the longest under BlueCo.
For Rosenior, this is the start of what he will be hoping can become a dynasty at Stamford Bridge. The former England Under-21 full-back took his first training session at Cobham on Thursday afternoon and is looking to build a culture at the club, one that is more significant than tactics and game plans.
Rosenior will take charge of his first Chelsea match on Saturday evening as the Blues make the trip to The Valley in the FA Cup third round. Addicks boss Nathan Jones was the assistant manager at Brighton when Rosenior was playing for the Seagulls in 2015. Rosenior revealed back then that he wanted to learn from Jones and the newly-appointed Chelsea boss is expecting a really tough challenge against his friend.
"Nathan is top. He's had an outstanding career as a manager," Rosenior said on Jones. "It is going to be a very difficult game tomorrow. They play with real intensity, they're very, very difficult to play against. It's going to be a typical English cup third round tie in January, and my players need to be able to stand up to that intensity."
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