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Rosenior speaks next to Strasbourg's Belgian midfielder Moreira to give instructions Frederick Florin / AFP via Getty Images As far as new manager searches go, Chelsea did not have to cast their net too wide after parting company with Enzo Maresca last week. Blue Co’s multi-club model has already seen players linking up with sister side, Strasbourg — but now Chelsea are turning to the man in the dugout, with Liam Rosenior replacing Maresca. Advertisement Inconsistency is the key theme that has underpinned Chelsea’s past 18 months. Europa Conference League success and victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final suggested things were clicking into a new gear for the 2025-26 season. Wins over Barcelona and Liverpool were the highs in recent months, but a draw with Bournemouth and losses to newly-promoted Leeds United and Sunderland were the lows.   Still, the foundations are there for a new manager to work with. Chelsea sit fifth in the table with a strong possibility of qualifying for the knockout rounds of the Champions League. Instilling that consistency with such a young squad is a difficult task, but there are few coaches in Europe better suited to dealing with those demands than Rosenior. This is The Athletic’s breakdown of the 41-year-old’s tactical style. In an era when coaches are lauded for their dogmatic and unwavering football principles, there is a refreshing pragmatism to Rosenior’s set-up. Strasbourg can switch formation depending on the opposition, with a versatility that allows Rosenior to alternate between a back three — typically a 3-4-2-1 — and a back four, in a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 formation. This is highlighted in their recent passing networks below. Note how high goalkeeper Mike Penders is in his starting position. The 20-year-old, on loan from Chelsea, is crucial in Strasbourg’s build-up — often joining the defensive line in possession and using his strengths as a capable progressive passer. For context, no Ligue 1 goalkeeper (with 900-plus minutes played) averages more touches outside of their penalty area than Penders’ 39. 4 per 90 minutes. Maximising control via possession is a staple diet of any modern coach, and Rosenior is no different — with short, sharp passing being a key component of his style. The extent to which his side sticks to those principles is what is particularly noteworthy, with only PSG and Barcelona having a lower share of their passes being hit long (35-plus yards) than Strasbourg’s six per cent across Europe’s top five leagues this season. Advertisement This approach is reflected below when looking at their playing style compared with Europe’s top seven leagues in 2024-25, as the last complete season. Note how considered their passing is within their own third (deep build-up, 90 out of 99) and how much they look to work the ball through the heart of the pitch (central progression, 87 out of 99) to underpin their progressive approach upfield. Crucially, there is purpose to such passing. Frustrations among Chelsea fans have often been that Maresca’s patient possession might look after the ball and squeeze the opposition back, but it could often come with a toothless end to the sequence at the sharp end of the pitch. As the graphic above shows, Strasbourg are less focused on territorial dominance (field tilt, 32 out of 99). Their central progression does not necessarily mean that they have a slow, patient attack (39 out of 99), instead looking to accelerate forward quickly when the spaces open up — crafting high-quality chances when the opposition shape is disrupted (shot quality, 98 out of 99). Take the example below, against Brest in October. The ball is bounced from Julio Enciso to Samir El Mourabet, who plays another returned first-time pass to striker Joaquin Panichelli, who drags Brest’s centre-back with him.   Note the third-man run made by Ben Chilwell — formerly of Chelsea — on the left wing during this central progression. As Brest’s shape is pulled apart, El Mourabet finds Chilwell’s run, with the 29-year-old crossing excellently for Sam Amo-Ameyaw to finish first time. A very similar pattern can be seen in Strasbourg’s Europa Conference League clash with Crystal Palace. A neat flick from Valentin Barco finds Sebastian Nanasi through the heart of the pitch, with first-time passing once again cutting through the opposition’s shape. Another third-man run — this time from Diego Moreira — sees Strasbourg’s left wing-back arrive onto the ball to cross for Emmanuel Emegha (who will join Chelsea next summer) to finish first time. It is a near-carbon copy of the goal above, which highlights the passing pattern that Rosenior has established. This fluidity in possession allows Strasbourg’s players to rotate and attract the opposition towards them, before exploiting the space they have opened, allowing them to create high-quality chances. Advertisement Such is their focus on crafting lucrative opportunities that only Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich create more “clear shots” — defined by Opta as having only one or no outfield players blocking the ball’s path to goal — than Strasbourg’s 3. 1 per 90 minutes across Europe’s top five leagues this season. Out of possession, Rosenior has steadily built his side into a brave, high-pressing side with bags of enthusiasm. “You can dominate the game in many ways, ” Rosenior told The Athletic FC podcast in October. “To have the ball is great, but you can also dominate space and territory. When I coach a team, I want them to enjoy what they do, to feel like they are children, because that is where your enthusiasm for football comes from.   “Normally, to love the game, you have to express yourself with the ball. Pressing is an extension of that, pressing is trying to get the ball back as quickly as possible, to play with energy, and that is just the way I like to play football. ” It will depend on the phase of the game, but Strasbourg will often match up the opposition man-for-man when pushing forward — looking to maximise their own attacking opportunities when regaining possession in the final third, much in the same way that Chelsea do. This is neatly shown across a wider trend since Rosenior arrived in 2024, where a lower rate of high turnovers was seen under the previous manager, Patrick Vieira. After a levelling-off at the end of last season, there has been an upward trend in Strasbourg’s possession regains in the attacking third this campaign — with only PSG managing more goal-ending high turnovers in Ligue 1 than their five in 2025-26. While they are not infallible out of possession, there is an ethos to be brave and bold against the ball. An excellent example of that comes from Strasbourg’s 3-3 draw with PSG in October. Advertisement As Desire Doue collects the loose ball, Strasbourg have bravely squeezed the pitch and cut out all his passing options. As Doue makes the pass, there are six players matching up PSG in the final third. Moreira easily intercepts the pass before receiving it back from Barco to slot past goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier and — at that time — put Strasbourg 2-1 up. Such enthusiasm in and out of possession must be channelled correctly when considering the age of the squad Rosenior has at his disposal. Chelsea fans have seen the effects of Blue Co’s business model to invest in young talent and increase their valuations as they develop, but Strasbourg takes that mantra to another level. At an average age of 21. 9 years old, Strasbourg comfortably have the youngest squad in Europe’s top five leagues — more than two years younger than the nearest club (PSG, 24 years old). While youth has been paired with naivety and inexperience at times at Chelsea, Rosenior has been quick to emphasise the importance of channelling such greenness in a positive way. “Education is everything, ” he told The Athletic FC podcast. “If you get angry at someone for making a mistake or missing a shot, you’re missing the point — for me, it’s about giving players accountability. The beautiful thing about working with younger players is that they are fearless. There is no negative experience. ” A key mitigating factor is that the spotlight is not as sharp in France as it is in the Premier League, with the smallest errors often heavily scrutinised within the Chelsea bubble. Having the space to learn and develop is afforded much less in west London, but Rosenior is well-qualified to be the man to nurture a squad with less experience than others in the division.   Much like Maresca, Rosenior would arrive at Stamford Bridge with experience of managing in England, if not in the Premier League. Preparing for the physicality of the top division will require Rosenior to call upon his experience from the Championship, having managed at Hull City and Derby County (on an interim basis) before his role at Strasbourg — not to mention his own playing career in England spanning across seven different clubs. Advertisement The impact of a manager can often be debated, but Rosenior’s influence in France is not to be underestimated — leading his side to a seventh-place, European finish in his opening campaign after they had finished 13th and 15th in their previous two seasons. Looking at their Elo ratings — a system that is used as a proxy of team strength — over time, Rosenior has led Strasbourg to their highest rating in the club’s history, highlighting the success that he has overseen since arriving in northeastern France. The Blue Co model has catalysed that success with their investment in youthful, exciting players who are developed under their ownership. Rosenior has now made the move to Chelsea, showing just how much the owners have similar optimism in investing in young, exciting managers. Mark Carey is a Data Analyst for The Athletic. With his background in research and analytics, he will look to provide data-driven insight across the football world. Follow Mark on Twitter @Mark Carey93