3 hours ago
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When Liam Rosenior arrived at Chelsea, the club had won just one of their previous nine Premier League matches.
But the Englishman has started life with the Blues by securing back‑to‑back league victories.
Goals from Estevao Willian, Joao Pedro and Enzo Fernandez gave Chelsea a 3-1 win at Crystal Palace, returning them to fourth place before Arsenal hosted Manchester United later on Sunday.
Four weeks ago, there had been shock when former head coach Enzo Maresca left Chelsea after a falling out with the club hierarchy. His replacement - the 41-year-old who joined from sister club Strasbourg - has since steadied the ship.
Rosenior was in the stands for Chelsea's last league defeat, a 2-1 loss to Fulham, having been appointed but not in time to take charge for that game.
Since then, Chelsea have beaten Charlton in the FA Cup third round, lost at home to Arsenal in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, beaten Brentford, Pafos in the Champions League and Crystal Palace.
Neither Maresca nor Mauricio Pochettino won their opening two league games as Chelsea boss, with that feat last being achieved by Graham Potter.
With Potter ultimately disappointing during his tenure at Stamford Bridge, the comparison underlines that Rosenior will be judged over a longer period - a reality of which he is fully aware.
"I'm not thinking about being relieved or how I'm feeling," Rosenior said. "I'm just focused on the job. That's really, really important. We've got another huge game on Wednesday."
Still, it's a positive start with Chelsea next facing a trip to face Italian champions Napoli in the Champions League, before welcoming West Ham to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Rosenior has undoubtedly kick‑started momentum with a favourable run of fixtures that Chelsea were largely expected to win.
Having arrived mid-season, and with two matches per week until at least mid-February - and potentially beyond if Chelsea fail to beat Napoli and are forced into a two‑legged Champions League play-off - there has been and will continue to be little time to work on the training pitch.
The Blues therefore still look stylistically similar to the team built by Maresca. They favour a patient, possession-based approach, press high and set up cautiously to prevent opponents counter-attacking.
However, a key vulnerability remains: set-pieces. Since Rosenior joined Chelsea, all five goals they have conceded have come from set-plays - one long throw-in, one deep free-kick and three corners.
Rosenior has focused on addressing other low-hanging fruit. He has encouraged his squad - the youngest in the Premier League - to be more aggressive, has worked on improving team spirit and has spoken to the players about their ill-discipline.
Chelsea still primarily line up in a 4-2-3-1, but there are signs that, as with his Strasbourg side, they will become more tactically flexible. They adjusted their set-up to face Oliver Glasner's distinctive 3-4-3 system at Palace.
Rosenior explained: "I think today was a huge test. I changed the shape of the play. It's hard to explain - it's like a semi-four or semi-five at the back with Andrey [Santos] in between.
"For them to go and put on, from a tactical point of view, the performance that they did in two days makes me very pleased, because pretty much 95% of the press and 95% of the positioning was absolutely perfect. They're engaged.
"I think they're believing in what they're doing. It's one game. We have to make sure we're consistent in every game we play."
After the match, there was a positive exchange between Rosenior and some of the away fans, who appeared to be chanting his name.
The London-born coach placed a hand on his heart and looked visibly moved. When asked whether he is already winning over supporters, he said: "I hope so. I'm very happy to be here. It's a fantastic club with fantastic supporters.
"As I said, it's two-way. I have to earn that - I'm aware of that. Not just me, but my staff, the players, the team, in our performances. And I hope that over time we'll see that something good may happen here."
However, there were also anti-ownership chants - now a familiar feature of Chelsea matches, particularly away from home.
Despite that unrest, the club's hierarchy, including the owners and sporting directors, have set high expectations for Rosenior and still demand Champions League qualification.
In Maresca's exit statement, they said a change was needed to give "the team the best chance of getting the season back on track".
It may be early days, but Rosenior has made an encouraging start.
