For somebody who reportedly read the ‘FA Coaching Book of Soccer Tactics and Skills’ at the age of just nine, it was perhaps inevitable that Liam Rosenior would one day reach the top as a manager.
His playing career was rock solid: nearly 400 professional appearances for clubs including Brighton, Hull City and Fulham, with the highlight a run to the FA Cup final in 2013/14 with the Tigers.
But, given his childhood reading material, it perhaps comes as no surprise to learn that Rosenior was destined for a career in coaching.
Derby County were the first to give him a chance on an interim basis following the resignation of Wayne Rooney in June 2022. And he’s never looked back – carving out a niche as a progressive, forward-thinking head coach whose journey has led him to Stamford Bridge… less than four years after taking to the dugout for the first time.
Here’s a walkthrough of Rosenior’s coaching career thus far…
Ups and Downs
That first tenure at Derby ended in relative disappointment.
Rosenior took the helm for 12 games, recording a very respectable record of W7 D2 L3, but the Rams were keen to appoint a permanent successor to Rooney and ultimately opted for Paul Warne instead.
But it didn’t deter Rosenior from pursuing a career in management, while his stint in the East Midlands seemed to elevate his standing – within a matter of weeks, he was back as a head coach at former club Hull City.
He managed to stabilise a club known for its chaos behind the scenes, even guiding the Tigers to a seventh-place finish in his first full season in charge in 2023/24 – missing out on the play-offs by just three points.
| Pos. | Team | Wins | Draws | Losses | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Leicester | 31 | 4 | 11 | +48 | 97 |
| 2nd | Ipswich | 28 | 12 | 6 | +35 | 96 |
| 3rd | Leeds | 27 | 9 | 10 | +38 | 90 |
| 4th | Southampton | 26 | 9 | 11 | +24 | 87 |
| 5th | West Brom | 21 | 12 | 13 | +23 | 75 |
| 6th | Norwich | 21 | 10 | 15 | +15 | 73 |
| 7th | Hull | 19 | 13 | 14 | +8 | 70 |
That was a classy heat of the Championship, with Leicester, Ipswich, Leeds and Southampton all accruing 87 points or more, so Rosenior’s status was once again elevated with such an excellent campaign.
He was even nominated for the Manager of the Year Award, but not everybody was enamoured by Rosenior’s time at the helm – Hull City owner Acun Ilicali remarkably sacking his head coach over a perceive clash of styles… the Turkish entrepreneur demanding an attacking brand of football.
🚨 BREAKING: Hull City have today sacked head coach Liam Rosenior despite being shortlisted for the Championship manager of the season award, Sky Sports News understands pic.twitter.com/faIYMfTUKp
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 7, 2024
Given that Hull finished 21st the following season – avoiding relegation on goal difference alone, maybe Ilicali should be careful of what he wishes for.
French Fancy
No doubt flummoxed by the politics of English club management, Rosenior opted for a continental move for his return to coaching.
He took the helm of French club Strasbourg in the summer of 2024, who – as you may already know – are part of the BlueCo football group headed by Chelsea’s own Todd Boehly.
Armed with a catalogue of signings aged 24 or younger, including Chelsea loanees Djordje Petrovic and Caleb Wiley, Rosenior introduced a progressive style of play at Strasbourg and guided them to seventh place in Ligue 1 in his maiden campaign – their highest finish since the 1980/81 season.
| Pos. | Team | Wins | Draws | Losses | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | PSG | 26 | 6 | 2 | +57 | 84 |
| 2nd | Marseille | 20 | 5 | 9 | +27 | 65 |
| 3rd | Monaco | 18 | 7 | 9 | +22 | 61 |
| 4th | Nice | 17 | 9 | 8 | +25 | 60 |
| 5th | Lille | 17 | 9 | 8 | +16 | 60 |
| 6th | Lyon | 17 | 6 | 11 | +19 | 57 |
| 7th | Strasbourg | 16 | 9 | 9 | +12 | 57 |
They were going along nicely in 2025/26 too, again in seventh position, when Boehly decided to replace Enzo Maresca with Rosenior, a head coach whose style and personality he had come to trust and respect.
Liam Rosenior’s Playing Style
So what can Chelsea fans expect from Rosenior stylistically?
It’s likely that he will retain the 4-2-3-1 shape played under Maresca, although he did shown flexibility at Strasbourg – switching from 4-2-3-1 to 3-4-2-1 as the situation dictated.
It should also be noted that these are nominal structures; in truth, in possession, the French side were fluid and often had the look of a 3-2-5 shape – similar to that of Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
In his debut against Fulham, Rosenior selected Andrey Santos as one of his midfield pivots – a player he knows well from a loan spell at Strasbourg.
Santos and Moises Caicedo provided the midfield security which free up Enzo Fernandez to play as more of a number eight – bombing on and linking up in particular with Pedro Neto, who held his width on the left-hand side.
It perhaps wasn’t the best learning exercise – Marc Cucurella’s red card after 22 minutes pretty much tore up Rosenior’s playbook, but better signs were provided by the 5-1 thrashing of Charlton in the FA Cup.
Rosenior will probably ask his wide attackers to hold their width, with the full backs able to roam centrally, although that may be an issue in getting the best out of Cole Palmer, whose natural instinct is to roam inside too.
So there’s questions and intrigue as Rosenior beds himself in as Blues boss. But with so much potential in the squad and a decent CV to his name, there’s plenty of excitement at what’s in store.