Chelsea limped into the international break on the back of four straight defeats with constant rumors of dressing room unrest.
Chelsea fullback Malo Gusto has insisted that the team collectively “believe” in Liam Rosenior during an impassioned defense of a manager being increasingly scrutinized and, by others, unfairly ridiculed.
Rosenior took over from Enzo Maresca at the turn of the year in dramatic circumstances. Airlifted in from Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg, the 41-year-old’s only previous managerial experience had come in the English second tier. Initial doubts over Rosenior’s suitability were quelled by a run of seven wins from his first nine games, the only two defeats at the hands of Premier League leaders Arsenal.“set fire to four points” with late concessions against the newly promoted pairing of Leeds United and Burnley—to use Rosenior’s expression—before once again losing to Arsenal. Wins against Aston Villa and Wrexham followed but the Blues limped into the March international break on the back of four straight defeats, shipping 12 goals during that timespan.of their star players pushing for moves away, the pressure on Rosenior has ramped up considerably. Yet, Gusto has rubbished any suggestions of mutiny. “For us as a team, we have to believe in him, believe in the way we play, to stick to our plan and see how it goes,” the France international told“He wants to share it with us his passion for football and I feel like I want to play for him, I want to show my best when he puts me on the pitch.”Liam Rosenior has not always started Malo Gusto. | Chelsea Football Club/Chelsea FC/Getty Images It’s telling that Gusto is so keen to praise Rosenior despite not being a guaranteed starter under the new boss. Every player likes someone who picks them each week, but the right back was still willing to laud a manager who has given more minutes to 10 of his teammates since taking over in January. Gusto may not have the knives out for Rosenior but plenty of other onlookers have been quick to find fault in the English tactician. “I think he is a top coach, I saw that a lot of people criticized him,” the Frenchman mused.“I have worked with him a lot since he joined Chelsea. I think he is a top person first of all, a top manager as well and as you say, he is young. He is a lot of things for the future, but if he is the Chelsea manager it is because he has the talent for this.”There has been as much criticism of Rosenior’s off-field antics as his actual results. Every vaguely motivational comment from “LinkedIn Liam”—as he has been uncharitably branded—has been endlessly dissected while his dress sense, choice of glasses and even his ability to control a football have inspired entirely unwarranted ridicule. Before Enzo Fernández became distracted by sticking himself in the shop window this summer, he hailed Rosenior as a “great coach.” That sentiment was echoed by Cole Palmer,How Chelsea Squad Reacted to Enzo Maresca ExitMuch like the rest of the soccer world, Gusto did not see Maresca’s departure on New Year’s Day coming. “It was a bit complicated for us in the middle of the season when Enzo Maresca was sacked,” the fullback recalled. “So a new coach coming in now, it was a big change I think for the team, everyone was surprised to be honest. But in football that can happen, so we had to adapt.”Rosenior has gradually tried to reshape the side in his image, specifically introducing a slightly tweaked pressing approach which malfunctioned spectacularly in the “Before the international break it was a tough few weeks for us in terms of results because that is not what we expected,” Gusto conceded. “Against PSG, there were a few games in the Premier League against Newcastle and Everton as well that we lost. “It is a bit hard , when you start to understand one and then right away you have to change to another one, it is maybe a little bit more for us because we have a little less experience.”Grey Whitebloom is a writer, reporter and editor for Sports Illustrated FC. Born and raised in London, he is an avid follower of German, Italian and Spanish top flight football.
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