Rosenior has undoubtedly kick‑started momentum with a favourable run of fixtures that Chelsea were largely expected to win.
Having arrived mid-season, and with two matches per week until at least mid-February – and potentially beyond if Chelsea fail to beat Napoli and are forced into a two‑legged Champions League play-off – there has been and will continue to be little time to work on the training pitch.
The Blues therefore still look stylistically similar to the team built by Maresca. They favour a patient, possession-based approach, press high and set up cautiously to prevent opponents counter-attacking.
However, a key vulnerability remains: set-pieces. Since Rosenior joined Chelsea, all five goals they have conceded have come from set-plays – one long throw-in, one deep free-kick and three corners.
Rosenior has focused on addressing other low-hanging fruit. He has encouraged his squad – the youngest in the Premier League – to be more aggressive, has worked on improving team spirit and has spoken to the players about their ill-discipline.
Chelsea still primarily line up in a 4-2-3-1, but there are signs that, as with his Strasbourg side, they will become more tactically flexible. They adjusted their set-up to face Oliver Glasner’s distinctive 3-4-3 system at Palace.
Rosenior explained: “I think today was a huge test. I changed the shape of the play. It’s hard to explain – it’s like a semi-four or semi-five at the back with Andrey [Santos] in between.
“For them to go and put on, from a tactical point of view, the performance that they did in two days makes me very pleased, because pretty much 95% of the press and 95% of the positioning was absolutely perfect. They’re engaged.
“I think they’re believing in what they’re doing. It’s one game. We have to make sure we’re consistent in every game we play.”
