Charlton 1 Chelsea 5: Analysing Rosenior's first game in charge
Cerys Jones analyses the main talking points from Chelsea's FA Cup third-round win at Charlton Athletic
Liam Rosenior began his reign as Chelsea head coach with a comfortable FA Cup third-round victory at Championship side Charlton Athletic.
The 41-year-old was appointed on Tuesday but did not take charge of Wednesday’s Premier League defeat by Fulham, meaning this trip to The Valley offered the potential for a first glimpse of what his Chelsea side might look like.
In reality, Rosenior selected a side featuring plenty of players in need of first-team minutes and the starting XI for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal is likely to be significantly different.
Rosenior watched on from the touchline as his team were frustrated by the hosts during the first half, but Jorrel Hato’s powerful strike gave them the lead in first-half stoppage time.
Tosin Adarabioyo headed in to double the visitors’ advantage five minutes after half-time.
There was a brief cause for concern when Miles Leaburn smashed past Filip Jorgensen on 57 minutes to give Charlton hope.
But Chelsea soon settled any nerves when Marc Guiu poked home from close range five minutes later. Pedro Neto added a late fourth after coming off the bench and Enzo Fernandez smashed in a stoppage-time penalty to complete the victory.
Cerys Jones analyses the main talking points from The Valley.
How did Chelsea fans react to Rosenior?
Liam Rosenior acknowledges the Chelsea fans before kick-off (Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Rosenior has said all the right things in his media appearances since joining Chelsea, but made it clear he knows full well that fans’ approval will be won on the pitch — starting with the 3,317 Chelsea supporters in the Jimmy Seed Stand on Saturday.
There were no huge shocks for Chelsea fans from their new head coach. Rosenior’s system, as expected, was fairly similar to Enzo Maresca’s, and he is also an animated manager on the touchline, often accompanied by a member of his coaching staff. He was vocal towards his players, frequently urging the wingers higher and wider.
But the priority among the fans was apparently not welcoming their new manager. After vociferous anti-ownership chanting at Craven Cottage on Wednesday, it took less than one minute for chants of ‘Roman Abramovich’ to start at The Valley, and there were barbs aimed at co-owner Behdad Eghbali in the second half.
There is clearly disquiet in the fanbase, and it was perhaps a missed opportunity that Chelsea’s players celebrated their three goals in such a muted fashion, rather than take the chance to forge a positive moment with the away end.
Was this a sign of things to come from the fringe players?
In the cup competitions so far this season, few fringe Chelsea players have really seized the opportunity to push for Premier League minutes. With the caveat that this tie was against a struggling Championship side, some of those second-string players selected by Rosenior looked more promising.
Hato, the 19-year-old defender signed from Ajax over the summer, capped his best performance in a Chelsea shirt with a superb first-time strike to put his side ahead before the break.
Hato had been tasked with a role similar to the suspended Marc Cucurella, pushing up from left-back into the left channel to help attack the box. He was effectively part of a front five for much of the match when Chelsea were in possession.
Hato seemed low on confidence in some of his earlier Chelsea appearances but he was much-improved on Saturday, and it would be a major positive for Rosenior to be able to call on him as a reliable deputy for Cucurella.
Jamie Gittens, who has been losing the fight with Alejandro Garnacho for Premier League minutes on the left wing, started on the right against Charlton and showed some more of what has appeared in glimpses so far.
He is technically gifted, able to progress the ball quickly to the byline and nip a cross in, and indeed created one of Chelsea’s first chances by doing so. At the start of the second half, his neat footwork allowed him to slice a pass through for Facundo Buonanotte at the back post — but his fancy feet need to create those promising chances more often.
Guiu capitalised on the opportunity to start when he pounced on a lax parry by Will Mannion to fire home Chelsea’s third goal.
Overall, it was a positive audition for most of Chelsea’s fringe players, with Andrey Santos (who has already played under Rosenior at Strasbourg) a capable and composed partner to Moises Caicedo in midfield. Benoit Badiashile was less assured, picking up a yellow card inside 10 minutes and making a few wayward passes.
What is next on Rosenior’s to-do list?
A comfortable win was important, but this pales in comparison to the test of Arsenal visiting Stamford Bridge in the Carabao Cup in midweek. It would be a pressurised fixture anyway — but considering Chelsea matched, and at times outplayed, their London rivals in a 1-1 league draw in November, a loss could feel like a real backwards step and a difficult start at home for Rosenior.
The team will look very different for that game, with the likes of Reece James and Cole Palmer presumably returning. As fans saw at The Valley, the players have not had drastic tactical changes to adapt to. But the fact that Rosenior was frequently calling out to his players to shift them into his preferred positions signifies that, unsurprisingly, more time to imprint the nuances of his attacking patterns will be a priority.
Defensive details also need attention; the manner in which Chelsea lost track of Leaburn for Charlton’s goal is concerning and not a standalone incident this season.
Rosenior does not need to reinvent the wheel between now and Wednesday. What is most important is instilling some confidence in his squad, who are winless in the Premier League since Everton’s visit in mid-December.
What did Rosenior say?
Speaking to TNT Sports, Rosenior said: “A good start. Our first goal came at a really important time in the game. Then we scored a really good goal from a set play.
“What pleased me so much was the intensity from the team and we pressed hard. A strong start and something to build on. I was delighted with the starting players but it’s nothing to get too carried away about.
“It’s a busy two months (ahead) and what I can take from this is I’m really pleased that the lads have put into practice what we’ve worked on in the past 48 hours.”
What next for Chelsea?
Wednesday, January 14: Arsenal (Home), Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, 8pm UK, 3pm ET
Saturday, January 17: Brentford (Home), Premier League, 3pm UK, 10am ET