What Liam Rosenior can expect from first Chelsea game vs Charlton in FA Cup
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Liam Rosenior will be hoping to get off to the perfect start as Chelsea head coach when they face Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup.
After taking charge of his first training session on Thursday, Rosenior has had a couple of days to work with the players to get them prepared for the third round tie at The Valley on Saturday night.
The 41-year-old is aware of what is required and what pressure he is under to deliver results, both now and in the long run, to win over Chelsea's demanding supporters.
As Rosenior noted, the time for talking is over as all eyes are on the matches to get Chelsea back on the winning trail after a run of five games without victory in all competitions.
🆚 Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup!#CFC | #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/19w6LCeQ2R
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 10, 2026
Chelsea are heavy favourites to beat the Championship side, who are currently sitting in 19th place, to progress into the fourth round - the stage where they were knocked out, by Brighton & Hove Albion, last season.
As Rosenior's opening game approaches, Absolute Chelsea takes a look into what the new Blues head coach can expect on Saturday night.
No easy games in the FA Cup - all about the battle
Rosenior comes up against Nathan Jones, who he has previously come up against during his time as Derby County boss back in 2020.
The Chelsea boss has hailed Charlton's quality and knows it is all about winning battles and duels.
"Nathan's top," previewed Rosenior. "He's had an outstanding career as a manager. It's going to be a very difficult game. They play with real intensity. They're very, very difficult to play against. I've watched a lot of their recent games.
"It's going to be a typical English cup tie third round in January, and my players need to be able to stand up to that intensity. You know, that's the first thing in football. It's all about systems, tactics. You have to win the battle. You have to win duels. You have to win headers. You have to run, and that's the message I've given to the players over the last two days."
Discontent amongst Chelsea supporters in the stands
In Chelsea's last match against Fulham in the Premier League, the travelling support at Craven Cottage made their feelings abundantly clear. Chants aimed towards the club's majority stakeholder Clearlake Capital and Behdad Eghbali were loud, with the co-owner in attendance.
It will have likely taken Eghbali and the Chelsea hierarchy by surprise, but the discontent is growing amongst sections of the frustrated fanbase, despite winning both the Conference League and Club World Cup in 2025.
Rosenior has a job on his hands to build the connection with Chelsea fans, both home and away. He has already been extremely positive towards the club's fans.
It remains unclear whether the 3,000+ travelling support at The Valley will take aim at Eghbali and co once again, but Rosenior needs to be prepared and ensure he delivers a victory in his opening match.
"I think a club of this stature, the fans want success and they have every right to want success now," said Rosenior on Friday.
"This club is ingrained in the history of winning trophies, especially in recent history, winning titles or winning Champions Leagues. The fans should have those demands and those standards.
"My job, to win over the fans, I need to win games of football. To win over the fans, I think they need to see a team that represents them. I know this area well. I was born not far up the road. It's about hard work."
Players looking to prove a point
Saturday will offer the Chelsea squad - those selected - to showcase themselves to Rosenior for the first time.
It's a clean slate for the group since Enzo Maresca has left the football club, and all those given the opportunity to play against Charlton must step up and ensure a professional job is done to progress into the fourth round.
How strong Rosenior will go remains unclear. Chelsea tend to rotate for the cup games, and with a huge Carabao Cup semi-final tie against Arsenal next week on the horizon, Rosenior could look to rest a few of his key players.
One player who is definitely out is Marc Cucurella. He is serving a one-match ban after his red card against Fulham.
Forward Liam Delap, who worked with Rosenior at Fulham, has been the subject of praise by the new Chelsea boss pre-match, and he will be itching to retain his place in the starting XI.
"I think the last two performances of Liam he looks unlocked. I have a certain way I work with strikers that Liam knows and there are certain things I know myself and my staff can help him with. He knows us and what we expect."
The final message
Rosenior was abundantly clear in his pre-match media duties. He sent one final message to the Chelsea fans about how he wants him, his staff, his players and the clubs to be treated and viewed.
"Judge what you see. Don’t judge what you hear. Judge what you see on the pitch. Don’t judge my press conferences. I don’t win any games here. Judge what you see on the pitch. Give myself, my staff and players the chance to prove we're worthy."
It's now over to Rosenior and co to get to work and deliver. Charlton awaits. The time for talking is over.
Matt Debono leads the editorial team which covers Chelsea On SI. He has witnessed Chelsea win it all, whilst also featuring on ITV News, SPORTbible and various other publications.