VIDEO: Joao Pedro and Liam Rosenior share wholesome moment during interview after Brazilian striker fires Chelsea into Champions League last-16

Questions were asked of whether he was the right man to fill a prominent managerial post at Stamford Bridge following the shock sacking of Enzo Maresca. His predecessor had overseen Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup triumphs in 2025.

Rosenior was, however, lured away from Strasbourg early in the new year and has set about putting his own stamp on a star-studded squad. Some of his methods have raised eyebrows, but the 41-year-old will be doing things his way.

His reputation in coaching circles has been earned courtesy of impressive man-management skills, with Rosenior all about working with a happy camp. He allows players to have a say in how tactical plans are drawn up, while ensuring that his door is always open for any discussions.

Those working under him at present appear to have struck up an immediate bond with their manager. Pedro proved as much when sharing a hug with Rosenior after seeing his post-match interview in Naples gatecrashed - with the Brazilian striker having bagged a brace in an impressive 3-2 win.

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Rosenior, who worked with Derby and Hull City before heading to France, has said of his coaching philosophy: “In English, 'manage', if you split the two words it is 'man' and 'age', so 'you're 'ageing men'. Am I a manager or a coach? I'm both. Coaching is educating. Coaching is wanting to improve players on a technical and tactical level. Management is making sure you have a strong culture.”

Shortly after his return to English football, it was claimed that Rosenior had introduced Lego to team-bonding sessions and that he does not wear gloves in training sessions so that Chelsea’s players can hear him applauding.

He has jokingly responded to those reports by saying: “Yeah, we've got Lego to come. I know where that came from. I've been doing a lot of clapping as well. I got sent a really, really good article that I enjoyed. I'm a coach and I want to help the players and we'll continue working really hard."

Rosenior has overseen four wins through his opening five games in charge of Chelsea, across four different competitions. Progress has been secured in Europe, while the Blues only trail their Carabao Cup semi-final clash with Arsenal by a single goal - meaning that there is still all to play for there heading into a second leg at Emirates Stadium on February 3.

Prior to that, Chelsea have another derby date with London rivals West Ham to take in on Saturday - with Rosenior looking for his team to clamber into the Premier League’s top four.