As Liam Rosenior settles into his new role as the Chelsea coach, putting his own stamp on the team he inherited will be a long-term project rather than a short-term one. His challenges are similar to those many midseason hires have faced before him, though there is one unique element he is still battling — the lingering impact of the Blues’ Club World Cup-winning run last summer.
While the weight of expectations loom large after winning the FIFA prize and the UEFA Conference League last season with then-coach Enzo Maresca, a more immediate issue is the physical load the Club World Cup took on Chelsea’s squad. The Blues’ schedule has been jam-packed since the start of the 2024-25 campaign with few breaks in between – they won the Conference League in Poland on May 28 and then opened their Club World Cup campaign in Atlanta on June 16, played seven games as they won the title on July 13 in the New York City suburbs and were back in London on August 17 to start a new season. Though their successful trip to the U.S. took place six months before Rosenior took charge at Chelsea, he admitted that the tournament’s impact is still being felt.
“You have to try to freshen up the team mentally and physically,” he said on Monday ahead of their match against Leeds United, detailing further that he has to be mindful about rotating through his squad as a result. It is something Rosenior has mentioned on a handful of occasions in the early weeks of his Chelsea tenure, most notably in the Blues’ 1-0 defeat at Arsenal in the second leg of the EFL Cup semifinals last week. Cole Palmer was named amongst the substitutes that day in an attempt to manage the player’s minutes during an injury-plagued season, especially as the team’s priority switches to finishing in a UEFA Champions League berth.
How to watch Chelsea vs. Leeds United, odds
- Date: Tuesday, Feb. 10 | Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Stamford Bridge — London, England
- Live stream: Peacock
- Odds: Chelsea -185; Draw +330; Leeds United +500
Chelsea are trending in the right direction as it pertains to a return to the Champions League next season, in large part because England are expected to pick up a bonus spot thanks to their UEFA coefficient ranking. The Blues sit fairly comfortably in fifth place with a four point cushion over sixth place Liverpool, while Rosenior has the benefit of a squad that is near full fitness for their clash against Leeds, who will be eager to pick up a favorable result in the hopes of widening their six point gap from the relegation zone. Reece James, who missed Saturday’s win against Wolverhampton Wanderers with a small fitness issue, might miss Tuesday’s match through illness while Chelsea’s other mainstays are available.
Rosenior’s Chelsea have improved their goalscoring form since the coaching change, averaging 2.4 goals from 2.1 expected goals per game across all competitions, up from their tally of 1.9 goals from 1.8 expected goals per game under Maresca. He admits they are still a work in progress, though, and that they even had room for improvement as they cruised to a 3-0 advantage at Wolves before the halftime break.
“When you’re the level of player I get to work with here, the reason they are top and elite is because they make great decisions in the moment,” Rosenior said. “Being fluid has positives in terms of being unpredictable. But if you do not have the right structure behind that you can become really open in transition. It’s trying to find a balance. I felt against Wolves there were some really pleasing aspects in our rotations. In the second half we didn’t stay true to our structure. That’s one of the reasons why our performance wasn’t as good in the second half.”
It is not the only mark Rosenior wants to leave on the team.
“My aim is we play a really high level in every minute of every game,” he said. “We’ve had a few conversations about that in recent days.”
A high-intensity approach is almost in conflict with Chelsea’s fixture congestion realities, finding the sweet spot admittedly serving as Rosenior’s most notable challenge as he looks to make the Blues his own. He believes, though, that players are getting used to the demands of a very intense workload.
“If I’m being honest, these lads are fantastic professionals – they live for their job which is so important,” Rosenior said. “You want the best product possible. We have to find a way where we can find the right balance between the two.”
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