Liam Rosenior is confident he will be the one making the decisions at Chelsea, insisting he would not have taken the job if he doubted his ability to work within the club’s structure. The new head coach takes charge of his first match when Chelsea visit Charlton in the FA Cup third round on Saturday night.
Rosenior, who signed a six-and-a-half-year deal after Enzo Maresca’s departure, said being his own man was essential. “I will make the decisions at this football club. That’s why I’ve been brought in,” he said. “There’s no way you can be successful as a manager if you don’t make the decisions for yourself.”
The 41-year-old joined from Strasbourg, Chelsea’s partner club, meaning he already understands the setup. He has longstanding relationships with three of Chelsea’s sporting directors and believes his view on key decisions will carry significant weight. “The great thing for me is I’ve experienced working in this setup. The guys have been nothing but supportive for me at Strasbourg,” he said.
Rosenior acknowledged the scepticism from Chelsea fans, who are used to bigger names, and a planned protest against the ownership. Drawing on his time at Strasbourg, where similar protests occurred, he said: “The same thing happened in Strasbourg and 95% of the fans saw what my team stood for in the end.”
Asked about the club’s focus on young players, Rosenior invoked Sir Alex Ferguson’s faith in youth at Manchester United. When it was pointed out that Ferguson’s youngsters had experienced leaders around them, Rosenior replied: “You’ll see in time what will happen here and the discussions we’ve had. The project is about winning.”
