What is Liam Rosenior’s style of play and why did Hull City sack new Chelsea boss?

Chelsea have confirmed Liam Rosenior as Enzo Maresca’s replacement, bringing an end to his time in France.

The 41-year-old has been working with Chelsea‘s sister club Strasbourg and has developed a clear style of play that the Blues think will be an easy transition for the players.

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However, his role with Strasbourg is the only managerial job he has had in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

He was permanent manager of Hull City in the Championship as well but was sacked in the summer of 2024.

So, this is a huge step up for the Englishman, but he is determined to make it work.

In his goodbye press conference to Strasbourg fans, Rosenior said: “It’s an unbelievable opportunity at an incredible club, the world champions, and one I just couldn’t turn down. And I can go home, and see my kids. I have made a sacrifice being away from them.”

Here, we take a look at what Blues fans can expect and why his time at Hull ended so abruptly.

What are Rosenior’s tactics?

In a newspaper column a few years ago, Rosenior praised the work of Mauricio Pochettino and Pep Guardiola while also recognising what Jose Mourinho had done for the game.

However, at Strasbourg, it is definitely more of the former that appears to influence Rosenior.

His team in Ligue 1 often deploy a back three formation in a 3-4-3 shape, with a focus on short and quick passes all over the pitch.

Strasbourg have attempted the third-most passes in the league this season only behind Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille.

Interestingly, they have also played the shortest number of long passes in Ligue 1 this year.

There is a particular focus on building up from the back and using the goalkeeper as an extra outfield player.

Of course, a lot of teams do this now, but Rosenior’s goal kick routines are worked on time and time again, with the idea to create space in midfield to then exploit third-man runs and create goalscoring chances.

This is reflected in the number of high-quality chances that Strasbourg often have, with their xG per shot averaging 0.14 – the joint-best in the division.

Equally, they don’t actually create that many chances, averaging 10.8 shots per game, which is lower than all bar three teams in Ligue 1.

But Rosenior is tactically flexible, and though the 3-4-3 was his favoured formation in France, he often changed it to be adaptable to their opponents.

And though Chelsea often started in a back four, their on-ball possession structure is very similar to Rosenior’s, meaning the Blues players shouldn’t find it too hard to grasp what their new manager wants.

Out of possession, Strasbourg were a high pressing team, aiming to win the ball back up the pitch as quickly as possible.

This saw them average 8.41 high turnovers per game this season, which puts them high up, though, still way behind PSG and Lens.

However, one element of concern for Chelsea fans should be the errors leading to goals.

Due to their philosophy of playing out from the back and avoiding long passes, they are often caught on the ball.

This has seen them concede 17 goals directly from mistakes.

So, Chelsea fans might see some teething problems initially that could lead to dropped points and some daft goals.

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Despite this, Wayne Rooney believes that Rosenior will be a success.

The 41-year-old worked with the Manchester United legend as his assistant at Derby County.

Rooney said: “His detail, how he approaches the day to day, he’s as good as I’ve worked with. He’s been waiting for an opportunity like this.

“If you don’t take it now, then you’re never going to take it. And I think he’s done his apprenticeship, he’s done his work to try and get to that job.

“So he’ll have no doubts in his mind that he’s capable of doing that job. And hopefully, very soon, hopefully we hear that he is the manager, because for young English coaches I think it’s massive.

“We don’t really see English managers at big clubs. So he’d be leading the way for for us.”

Why did Hull City sack Rosenior

Hull made the decision to hand Rosenior his first managerial role in November 2022.

At the time, they were one point above the relegation zone, and in the end, they finished 15th, so it was job done.

However, for the following season, the Tigers found themselves with a stacked squad.

Rosenior could call upon Liam Delap, Jacob Greaves, Jaden Philogene and Fabio Carvalho.

All four would play in the Premier League the next year, but they missed out on the play-offs.

Hull finished seventh, and didn’t get the chance at promotion, but it was the lack of attacking football that cost him his job.

The Tigers owner Acun Ilicali revealed after he sacked Rosenior that it was the lack of attacking football that cost him his job.

He said: “I want offensive football. I want an attacking, entertaining team. I said it from the first minute I bought this club.

“I said I would rather lose 3-2 than have a boring 0-0. If you are counting the points and draw every game 0-0 you are going to get relegated. If you lose 3-2, it means you will win another game 4-1.”