ANALYSIS: ROSENIOR’S TACTICAL MASTERCLASS AS FIVE-STAR CHELSEA DISMANTLE CHARLTON IN FA CUP
From Jorrel Hato’s opener to tactical shifts, we analyse how Liam Rosenior ended Chelsea’s winless run in style at The Valley.
Liam Rosenior couldn’t have asked for a better start as Chelsea’s new manager. The Blues hammered Charlton 5-1 in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, and Rosenior left the pitch with a grin.
Jorrel Hato got his first Chelsea goal just before halftime at The Valley, and then Tosin Adarabioyo doubled the lead not long after the break. Charlton’s Miles Leaburn pulled one back, but Marc Guiu, Pedro Neto, and Enzo Fernandez all found the net to seal a comfortable debut win for Rosenior. Charlton, by the way, sits 19th in the Championship.
Rosenior just arrived from Strasbourg, taking over after Enzo Maresca’s abrupt exit last week. He promised he’d “hit the ground running”, and snapping Chelsea’s five-game winless streak was a good way to keep that promise.
Things get much tougher on Wednesday, though, when Premier League leaders Arsenal come to Stamford Bridge for the League Cup semi-final first leg. That’ll be Rosenior’s first home game in charge.
Some folks have questioned if Rosenior’s just the board’s chosen ‘yes-man’—especially after Maresca’s stormy time at the club. The fact that Chelsea and Strasbourg share the same owners only fuelled that talk. People wonder if Rosenior is more open to listening to the higher-ups than Maresca ever was.
Watching Rosenior on the touchline—bookish glasses, polo neck, notebook in hand—he kind of looked like a young college lecturer, not your typical Premier League manager. But looks can fool you. He’s got real coaching chops, having guided Strasbourg to seventh in France last season, which turned a few heads.
He watched Chelsea’s 2-1 loss at Fulham from the stands on Wednesday while caretaker boss Calum McFarlane ran things.
For his Chelsea debut, Rosenior asked for patience, saying he wanted to prove he deserved the job. He made eight changes to the starting lineup and left out Cole Palmer, the England forward and one of the team’s stars. Bold move for your first game.
Rosenior stuck with the three-man defence he liked at Strasbourg. Early on, it worked. Hato’s looping header forced a save from Charlton’s Will Mannion, who was busy again minutes later, this time blocking Jamie Gittens’ shot. Josh Acheampong also tested Mannion from a distance. Still, Chelsea fans sounded a bit sceptical, chanting for Roman Abramovich and urging Rosenior to “attack, attack, attack” after the dull days under Maresca.
They didn’t have to wait long. Hato smashed in a half-volley during first-half stoppage time, picking out the top corner. Not bad for a teenager. Rosenior gave him a big thumbs-up.
Chelsea really took control after Adarabioyo’s thumping header off Facundo Buonanotte’s free kick made it 2-0 in the 50th minute. Charlton’s Leaburn—who actually came up through Chelsea’s academy—cut the gap seven minutes later after Filip Jorgensen’s save landed right at his feet.
But Guiu calmed any nerves, rifling in Chelsea’s third from 10 yards out just after the hour mark. Rosenior had to like the way his team kept pressing.
Neto pounced for a fourth goal in the 91st minute, and Fernandez wrapped it all up with a penalty in stoppage time after Estevao Willian drew a foul.
All in all, a dream debut for Rosenior. Arsenal’s up next—now we’ll really see what he’s made of.
XAVI OPENLY DECLARES INTEREST IN CHELSEA JOB DURING PERMANENT MANAGER SEARCH
With Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola on the shortlist, explore why Xavi Hernández wants to take over the Chelsea hotseat next.
Xavi has openly said he’d love to manage Chelsea, and now the Blues are hunting for someone to replace Liam Rosenior.
Rosenior got the sack last month after a rough patch just three months into his huge contract that was supposed to last six and a half years. Calum McFarlane is filling in as interim head coach until season’s end, but Chelsea are actively looking for a permanent boss for the 2026/27 campaign.
They're considering some big names. Xabi Alonso’s been mentioned; he’s been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in January. Andoni Iraola, who’s about to leave Bournemouth, is also on the shortlist.
Cesc Fabregas has been linked after his strong run at Como, and Frank Lampard’s in the mix too, fresh off winning the Championship with Coventry and securing promotion.
But Xavi really stands out. He’s already made it clear he’s interested in the Chelsea job. Back in 2019, before his Barcelona return, he said, “I don’t hide it; my goal is to come back to Europe and to Barca. It's my challenge, but I’m enjoying this current project. For me, training a team in Barcelona would be a privilege, the biggest privilege.”
He didn’t just talk about Spain either. “Honestly, who doesn’t love the Premier League? The atmosphere, packed stadiums, everyone says it’s incredible,” Xavi admitted. “If I had to pick, I’d go for a big team: City, United, Chelsea, Arsenal, or Tottenham. Klopp, Pochettino, and Unai Emery are doing amazing work there.”
After returning to Barcelona in 2021, Xavi led them to a La Liga title and the Supercopa de España before Hansi Flick took over in 2024. He’s been out of work since.
Now, Chelsea seems seriously interested in the Spaniard. According to The i, the club wants someone who can embed a strong football identity across their teams, something Enzo Maresca started.
Getting Xavi won’t be easy, though. Morocco’s national team reportedly sees him as a top candidate to replace Walid Regragui, and Manchester United is eyeing him too as they weigh options beyond Michael Carrick.
Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso is the bookmakers’ favourite for the Chelsea role, but word is he’d want more control over club decisions if he moves to west London.
COLE PALMER MISSES PENALTY AS CHELSEA SUFFER HISTORIC SIXTH CONSECUTIVE LEAGUE DEFEAT
Chelsea matched a 1912 record with their 6th straight loss, falling 3-1 to Forest as Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice at the Bridge.
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Chelsea hit rock bottom again, losing 3-1 to Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge. That’s six Premier League defeats in a row now, something the club hadn’t seen since 1912. Just when you thought the season couldn’t get any worse, Forest showed up with a makeshift lineup and absolutely stunned them. Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice, one barely a minute into the match, and then Igor Jesus put away a penalty, and suddenly Forest was six points clear of the drop zone.
Chelsea hadn’t scored in five games, and it looked like that streak would go on forever. Then, in stoppage time, Joao Pedro finally managed an overhead kick to break the drought. That run was made even more ridiculous earlier when Cole Palmer missed a first-half penalty. Matz Sels, Forest’s backup goalkeeper, saved it.
Honestly, the crowd in the Shed End probably barely recognised their own team. Pereira swapped in seven new outfield players, most of them with almost no league experience; he was clearly thinking about the upcoming Europa League semi-final. But it looked like Chelsea was the stranger out there.
Things only got worse for interim head coach Calum McFarlane. He lost Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho to late injuries, so 18-year-old Jesse Derry had to make his Premier League debut. Then, late in the first half, Derry collided heads with Forest’s Zach Abbott and had to be stretchered off after getting oxygen. It was brutal to watch.
The match itself? Chaos. Less than two minutes in, Chelsea messed up their own throw-in and let Forest stroll through midfield. Dilane Bakwa beat Marc Cucurella with little effort and crossed to Awoniyi, who was completely unmarked and headed it in.
Fifteen minutes later, Chelsea conceded again. Bakwa whipped in another cross; Malo Gusto pulled Awoniyi’s shirt, and VAR handed Forest a penalty. Jesus hammered it right down the middle.
The first half was hopeless, and by the end, serious concern set in after that nasty head clash between Derry and Abbott. Abbott, playing just his second league game, left on his own, but Derry needed serious treatment and was stretchered off.
After a nearly ten-minute stoppage, Palmer’s penalty was stopped by Sels. At halftime, Levi Colwill returned from a major injury he hadn’t played since tearing his ACL in August. He tried to restore order, but nothing changed.
Forest’s third goal came just seven minutes into the second half. Gibbs-White crossed, and Awoniyi tapped in from close range, just managing to stay onside. Chelsea’s keeper, Robert Sanchez, took a knock and left with a bandaged head after colliding with Gibbs-White.
Pedro’s late goal barely counted for anything. The few Chelsea fans left in the stadium cheered, but it was more out of irony than joy.
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