Chelsea and Enzo Maresca have parted ways, and it’s as messy as a weird high school couple. Both sides are sending briefs to the media and it’s impossible to know who to believe.
Sources at the club say the relationship was tarnished by Maresca’s apparent ambition to replace Pep Guardiola at Man City, while those in contact with the Italian say he could no longer take the micromanagement from the sporting directors and co-owner Behdad Eghbali, interfering with team selection.
What thing that does look certain is that Liam Rosenior will come in from sister club Strasbourg to try and save the day, likely because no other self-respecting manager would come within ten feet of the job. So, here is what Chelsea can expect from their potential new manager.
A change in formation?
Maresca was arguably one of the best tacticians in the Premier League during his time at Chelsea, setting his side up depending on the opposition he faced and doing fairly well against the bigger sides, it was the games that Chelsea ‘should’ have won that let him down.
Despite that, he was rigid with his decision to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, although it would change in and out of possession, with full backs pushing higher up or inverting into the midfield in build-up.
Rosenior has stuck with a 3-4-3 at Strasbourg, so perhaps we could see Chelsea transforming into a back three side if/when he takes the reins. Of course, there is more to the way the former Hull manager’s side play.
Looking at the most influential players at Strasbourg, Diego Moreira stands out. Funnily enough, he was on Chelsea’s books for a year before they decided to ship him off to their sister club back in August 2024.
Moreira is Strasbourg’s left winger/wingback, essentially, he plays everywhere up and down the left side, providing width for an attacking three that consists of two wide number tens and a focal point in the number nine. The right side operates in the same way, but they are yet to find someone as effective as Moreira.
Which Chelsea players could benefit from Rosenior?
Strasbourg aren’t quite as possession obsessed as Chelsea were under Maresca, Rosenior’s side average 52.8% of the ball across their 16 Ligue 1 games. Of course, the caveat is that the French side aren’t expected to control a game like Chelsea are.
So, in theory, player that thrive in transition could be the big winners here. Pedro Neto started the season remarkably well, he’s already scored more Premier League goals this season (5), than he did in 2024-25 (4).
What the Portugal international is best known for, however, is his work rate. Neto could very well be Chelsea’s answer to Moreira. He won the ball in the final third ten times, made 50 recoveries, and has only been dribbled past 12 times.
‘But what about Marc Cucurella?!’ we hear you ask. Well, the Spaniard is more of a traditional full back than wing back, he’s much better as a defender than he is going forward, locking the likes of Bukayo Saka and Lamine Yamal up this season, so he could transition as the left centre-back of a potential back three.
One player that has really struggled to adapt to life at Chelsea but could start to find his feet under Rosenior is Liam Delap. Now, Delap IS NOT a target man, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, he’s just physical, and will happily wrestle with opposition defenders.
A target man likes to play with his back to goal, that is not what Delap is best at. During his time at Ipswich, he would often have to forge his own chances on the counter with limited chances with intelligent runs and positioning.
If Rosenior is willing to let opposition sides have the ball a bit more than Maresca was, Delap could thrive with his strength and pace as they push up.
Does any of this actually matter?
The answer is, not really. Chelsea are run by a mysterious cabal of sporting directors and owners that never face the press or take any level of accountability. The ‘project’ is king, and the manager has to be nothing more than a yes man.
Rosenior is clearly very bright. He talks incredibly well, the video of him giving a team talks has once again been doing the rounds on social media since he’s been linked to the Chelsea job, but he’s been set up to fail at a club that doesn’t care about the ‘manager.’
So long as those that hold the actual power continue to operate in the shadows and face no scrutiny, it doesn’t matter who takes training, Chelsea will not be competing for the big trophies any time soon.
Verdict
Rosenior has undoubtedly done a fantastic job at Strasbourg, but Chelsea are an entirely different beast, and this move feels like it’s come a little too early for the Englishman. We expect to be writing an eerily similar piece within the next couple of years.