Currently, Manchester United and Chelsea are two Premier League clubs that are going through a common phase. While Enzo Maresca left as manager for Blues on New Year's Day in a mutual decision, Ruben Amorim was fired by Manchester United a week later. While there is no clarity over the next Red Devils manager, Chelsea seamlessly replaced Maresca with Liam Rosenior who had been with Strasbourg.
The Rosenior move became an easy decision for Chelsea's management, given that their owners were also in-charge at Strasbourg. Days after taking over as manager, Rosenior has revealed the huge influence Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson had on his upbringing as a footballer and manager.
“I was a Manchester United fan and I am now massively a Chelsea fan," said Rosenior to Reuters.
“I remember Alex Ferguson was brave enough to put six or seven players aged between 19 and 21 into a title-winning team because he believed in them. They grew and won trophy after trophy. It was an amazing period in that club’s history."
Much like Sir Alex Ferguson, Rosenior also believes in a youth-friendly fearless approach, something that he had employed at Strasbourg to led the French club to European qualification in his very first year. The scene is similar at Chelsea where a plethora of young dynamic talents are in the roster and Rosenior hopes to continue on Sir Alex Ferguson's tactics.
“Without that bravery, it (glory) doesn’t happen. There is potential for that here ... Speak about Moises Caicedo or Enzo Fernandez or Cole Palmer or Reece James - world-class players and still very, very young. That is the ultimate ambition for this club - to create that again.”
The Strasbourg squad under Rosenior had the youngest average (22) for any club in Europe's top five leagues. Pace, craft and fearlessness were the key points of Rosenior's stint at the French club and while the Premier League is a different kettle of fish, the Englishman hopes to stick to his philosophy.
“If you watched the Strasbourg team I coached, everyone enjoyed watching them because they played with intensity,” Rosenior said.
“Why? Because they were young, fit, less prone to injury. I’m going to work really hard to create that here. I have to train the players right, work with the medical team and look after them because they have outstanding careers ahead.
“But that doesn’t stop you being successful now. If I thought it was impossible to win with this group, I wouldn’t have come.”
