For what will likely be the last time, Liam Rosenior will take charge of RC Strasbourg Alsace as they travel to the Allianz Riviera to face OGC Nice this evening. The English head coach looks set to join Chelsea FC as Enzo Maresca’s replacement, taking the now familiar route between BlueCo’s two sister clubs. 

It’s an appointment that simply makes sense. In Rosenior, Chelsea would have a manager who has already bought into the BlueCo model. He is someone who understands and will not chafe against a squad built around precocious talent that has not yet reached its full potential. Something that had begun to become a point of tension in Maresca’s final few months. 

At Chelsea, the project is sacrosanct 

The Italian looked to exert his influence in the summer transfer window following Levi Colwill’s injury and had made it public that he had disagreements with Chelsea’s decision not to sign a replacement. He had also reportedly grown increasingly convinced that his young squad (the youngest in the Premier League) did not have the depth to compete across all four competitions. 

Maresca had likely hoped that his success in winning the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Europa Conference League would bring him more influence at the club, akin to Mikel Arteta at Arsenal. However, at Chelsea, he was met with an uncomfortable reality. The project is sacrosanct, the manager is replaceable. 

His struggles with accepting his role as a project manager contrast starkly with Rosenior’s recent quotes after Strasbourg’s draw with FC Lorient, where he seemed to tow the party line, saying, “I’m tired of using youth as an excuse.” It was a sentiment that encapsulated the synergy between his approach to management and BlueCo’s design philosophy. 

Liam Rosenior’s audition

Rosenior’s time at Strasbourg, to the annoyance of the ultras, who have never warmed to their BlueCo owners, can be seen as an audition for the role in West London. And it is an audition that he has so far nailed with very few notes. During his season and a half, he has largely brought out the best in the young squad and, perhaps more crucially, brought out the best in the Chelsea loanees. 

Andrey Santos flourished under Rosenior when he spent last season on loan at Strasbourg. As the Brazilian said earlier in the campaign of his soon-to-be new manager, “I love my former coach. He’s amazing.” Whereas Santos’s relationship with Maresca was maybe not as sweet, the manager, bristling at the need for rotation, had implied that the midfielder was a downgrade on Moisés Caicedo, “Andrey unfortunately is not Moi.” 

It’s not just Rosenior’s players who have appreciated him. He’s won plaudits across France for bringing a dynamic and high-tempo style of football to Strasbourg, a team capable of being flexible as they could play both a possession-based game and a more direct style depending on their opponent. He earned praise from Luis Enrique, Roberto De Zerbi, Bruno Génésio, and Will Still. And the reason why was clear: he was getting results. 

A late collapse in their final two games of last season saw Le Racing miss out on qualification to the UEFA Champions League. However, a 7th-place finish was enough (with Paris Saint-Germain winning the Coupe de France) to earn a spot in the Europa Conference League qualifiers and end a five-year wait for European football. 

Still cutting his teeth at Strasbourg

Rosenior’s time in Strasbourg has been a success on almost all accounts, but there is still the sense that a move to Chelsea would be coming a bit too soon for him. He was likely always going to be in the frame for the job when Chelsea moved on from Maresca; however, the breakdown in Maresca’s relationship with the club hierarchy has expedited the timeline. 

Rosenior has only just begun to cut his teeth with the demands of a club competing on multiple fronts. And at least in this aspect, he is still learning his craft. Strasbourg’s results, while consistent in the Europa Conference League, have been mixed in Ligue 1. Le Racing are off the pace in the league, having not won since the 9th of November. 

How he would respond and overcome this rough patch would likely be an important learning experience, especially before moving to Chelsea, where he will have to deal with the demands of a relentless schedule. It’s hard not to feel that he is leaving Strasbourg before we got a chance to see a bit more of his managerial makeup and how he reacts to difficult moments. 

The litmus test 

It’s perhaps not an ideal time for Rosenior to leave Strasbourg and take up the reins at Chelsea, but he has earned his shot at the job. He’s shown that he understands the BlueCo project and his role within it, and he has brought success both on and off the field at Strasbourg. For BlueCo, it’s an obvious bet to take, and they’ll be expecting that with a better standard of players, Rosenior will have even better results. However, they’ll be acutely aware of the consequences of failure. 

The supporters, rightly or wrongly, will hold Rosenior’s appointment as a litmus test on the viability of the project. He will be entering the club with the perception of being a project man, and if he struggles to adjust to the demands of the Premier League, there will be serious reservations about BlueCo’s management. The step up in quality and scrutiny in England will be far more intense than what he has so far experienced in the sleepy, tucked-away corner of France. Has the Chelsea job come too soon? Time will quickly tell.