You would do well finding many within Chelsea contesting this week’s suggestions they want in Liam Rosenior what Arsenal have in Mikel Arteta. Stability, longevity, style, they crave all that.
With one proviso. Chelsea hope to continue winning trophies on their way towards topping the Premier League again, that urgent need inherent in their identity as a club who have ‘won it all’ and patience not usually coinciding if those in charge do not deliver.
Including caretakers, Rosenior is the ninth manager to take charge of Chelsea since Arteta was appointed at Arsenal in December 2019, and he realises what is required of him.
‘Sitting here in this chair, I want to be here for as long as possible, I want to be the guy,’ Rosenior said. ‘Not just me, by the way. The team, the staff, the ownership, the sporting directors, everyone – I want to be a part of something really, really successful for a long, long time.
‘That’s why I signed up to this challenge. The reality of football is what gives you time is being successful and you need to show your quality. Overall, I hope this is the end of the upheaval for this club. I hope I can be here for a very long time and bring the club the success it deserves.’
Style-wise, Rosenior is not yet satisfied. While itching to turn Chelsea into pressing monsters like Arsenal, he confessed on the eve of their visit to the Emirates Stadium that he has been unable to immediately implement that energetic style, and explained why.
Rosenior said he has been tailoring his tactics because of a fear of fatigue and the injuries which would follow if he asked them to play precisely how he would like
Rosenior said he has been tailoring his tactics because of a fear of fatigue and the injuries which would follow if he asked them to play precisely how he would like, with Chelsea set for their 107th game since the start of last season.
That, he suggested, is partially why Arteta’s side have covered the greatest distance out of all the clubs in the Premier League this season – 1,988 miles in total – while Rosenior’s have covered the least – 1,773 miles. It was after Daily Mail Sport alerted the Blues boss to that statistic that he said it will come in time: ‘It’s really difficult. I know where I want this team to get to, in every aspect.
‘You always want to be at the top of every category. Arsenal are a very physical, very high pressing, high energy team. I want us to be high pressing and high energy as well.
‘That is something that you can’t solve in a short space of time. That comes over a period of months and hopefully years.’
The calendar is indeed weighing on Chelsea, with PFA chief Maheta Molango this week saying Cole Palmer and his team-mates were ‘shattered’ after visiting Cobham in the aftermath of the summer’s Club World Cup.
Rosenior continued: ‘It’s OK in your mind to say, “I want to play this way”. But you have to tailor that to the players, and their experiences, and where they are at this stage of the season.
‘You can’t come in and completely change their training schedule and what they are used to, because they will get injured. This is a longer term thing for me to address.
‘At the moment, my focus, and the way we work, is game by game, what’s best for these players to win. That’s how it’s going to be for the rest of the season.’
On Arteta, who is seeking his first silverware with Arsenal since the 2020 FA Cup, Rosenior added: ‘I have huge respect for Mikel. He is an outstanding guy and an outstanding coach.
‘To speak about my situation, I need to show improvements in this team in the short, medium and long term. If you show improvements in your team, the rest takes care of itself, and you end up winning the prizes that you want to win.’
One clip doing the rounds on social media after Chelsea’s disappointing draw with Burnley involved Malo Gusto attempting a no-look pass into the box as a promising move was wasted.
It appeared an ostentatious act, though Rosenior did not wish to publicly rebuke Gusto as he said: ‘I don’t like hanging players out to dry for one moment because Malo was very good in the game.’
Still, that moment suggested there is still a naive side to Chelsea as they take on an Arsenal team that have matured under Arteta and are now closing in on adding trophies to their cabinet.
