Liam Rosenior declared himself ready to prove the doubters wrong at his official unveiling, describing Chelsea’s potential as ‘limitless’ and insisting he will make his own decisions.
In an impressive first press conference as the new Blues boss, the 41-year-old Englishman spoke of creating a good connection inside of the club, praised the work of his predecessor Enzo Maresca, and promised he would embrace and enjoy the pressure of this job.
He also discussed how much influence he will have inside of Chelsea, following accusations that he had been hired from their sister side Strasbourg as a ‘yes man’. Rosenior insisted he is not here to do as told and would be in charge of his own calls as head coach.
‘I don’t think it’s possible to ever be in this job and not be your own man,’ Rosenior said. ‘People will see through you straightaway. I will make the decisions at this football club.
‘That’s why I’ve been brought in. I understand. I’m not an alien. I know what’s being said in the press. But there’s no way you can be successful as a manager if you don’t make the decisions for yourself. And the great thing for me is I’ve experienced working in this set-up.
‘The guys have been nothing but supportive for me at Strasbourg. We’ve had huge success at that club from where the project started, and I intend to work in exactly the same way here.’
Bringing back memories of Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea unveiling in 2004, Rosenior also said: ‘I’m not arrogant. I’m good at what I do. In every job that I’ve worked, whether it was as 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. I’ve always wanted to be at a club like this.
‘But it’s not about just being here. It’s about being successful. This is the beginning for me. I’m going to give it everything. Nobody can guarantee wins. Nobody can guarantee success. But I’ve worked very hard for a long time to put myself in a position where I can be successful.
‘To win over the fans, I need to win games of football. To win over the fans, they need to see a team that represents them. I was born not far up the road. It’s about hard work.’
Chelsea have won only one of their last nine Premier League games, leaving them staring up at the Champions League positions, and Rosenior is well aware of what has walked into.
‘The bigger club you are at, the higher the pressure, but the higher the privilege,’ he explained. ‘I’m looking forward to it. I can’t wait. If you’re scared or if you’re fearful, there’s no point being a coach.
‘I’ve worked so hard, pretty much my whole life, for this opportunity. I’m going to enjoy it. I’m going to work 24 hours a day. I’m intense when I’m with the players and I’m going to push them as hard as I possibly can to be successful.
‘We’ve got world-class players here. We’ve got players who have won World Cups. The lads won the Club World Cup a matter of months ago. I watched that game and they were absolutely magnificent against PSG. The potential for this club, for this group, is limitless.
‘I want to be successful. I’m ambitious. People know that about me. But I always have to make sure we get from where we are to where we need to be and that takes time. I’m not asking for too much time. But you need to make sure you know where your process is headed.’
At Strasbourg, Rosenior’s goalkeeper Mike Penders, on loan from Chelsea, would push up the pitch outside of his box. Asked whether he will be bringing that to the Blues, Rosenior said: ‘You work to the ability of your players. You work to what their strengths are. I’m very fortunate.
‘Both (Filip) Jorgensen and (Robert) Sanchez are world-class goalkeepers with their feet, which absolutely suits the way I want to play. But I’m not going to come in here on the first day and say to Rob or Filip to play from the halfway line or for Filip to play from the halfway. It takes time, it’s a process.
‘I feel very confident. I can bring the best out of my group in different areas and different aspects. Playing one way with one team is different to playing another way with another. I can be adaptable. It’s about my players and their strengths.
On needing to work on Chelsea’s disciplinary record, with him sitting in the Craven Cottage directors’ box while three players were yellow carded for dissent after Marc Cucurella’s red card, which led to a 2-1 loss at Fulham, Rosenior said: ‘I’ve spoken to the players in a different way about managing setbacks, because in life you get setbacks, not just in football. What we have, they show passion, they show emotion, which is a really positive thing.
‘It’s making sure that in key moments we react positively to a setback. We stay calm. Those mistakes, if you want to call them that, come from passion. The lads want to win.
‘So I don’t want to take that out of them at the same time. There’s a fine balance. To win, you can’t be nice all the time. You have to have an edge. I don’t want to take that away from the lads.’
