Liam Rosenior was pressed by the French media to reflect on his time in charge of Chelsea during his unveiling at Paris FC, where he penned a two-year contract with an option to extend for a further season.
The former Strasbourg boss has returned to France to take the reins at Paris FC, after a three-and-a-half-month tenure at Stamford Bridge.
He made an unwanted piece of history when he guided Chelsea to five consecutive losses in the Premier League without scoring, which was the first time since 1912.
This prompted Rosenior’s dismissal on April 22 as the club went on to miss out entirely on the European qualification places.
Rosenior breaks silence on bleak Chelsea stay
The 42-year-old was appointed following Enzo Maresca’s departure at the turn of the year, when the now Manchester City manager’s relationship with the Chelsea chiefs deteriorated due to an underwhelming set of results and public outbursts.
Rosenior said: “We joined the club in the middle of a season and at a difficult moment, and I learned many lessons.
“There are things I definitely could have done better and things I could have taken more accountability for, but there were also positive aspects to what we did.”
Without the demands of European football to contend with, Xabi Alonso’s remit will be to steer the club back to stability in the Champions League spots and to continue winning silverware.
“I wish them all the best in the future. I think they have a fantastic manager in Xabi Alonso and I will be following their results.”
Rosenior embarks on new chapter in French capital
44 metres away from the back-to-back Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, Rosenior is bidding to build on Paris FC’s growing project in the French top flight.
They finished in 11th last term in their return to Ligue 1 for the first time in 35 years, and their investment into young signings this summer, namely Patrick Zabi, Diego Coppola and Pablo Pagis, signals how they are looking to reap the rewards from patience.
In whittling down the candidates to replace Antoine Kombouare, Rosenior’s credentials in working with younger players at Strasbourg to claim 7th place was an alluring trait for the hierarchy.
Red Bull hold a minority stake in the club under the ambitious ownership of the Arnault family, and breaking into the European places would be a huge stepping stone to rivalling the established forces in French football on a consistent basis.
“Those lessons I take from Chelsea will help me in this role and, hopefully, help this club become a very big club in world football as well,” he added.
“Ligue 1 is a fantastic league. I said that when I left Strasbourg for Chelsea. I feel that my staff and I have joined an exciting project with enormous potential. It was an opportunity I could not turn down.”
