The decade-old Jose Mourinho training trick that Liam Rosenior needs to copy at Chelsea

Cameron Smith

• 10 Mar 2026 11:00 CDT
• 4 min read

News

Eight months after their triumph in the Club World Cup final, Chelsea take on Paris Saint-Germain once again, although a different manager will be in the dugout this time.

It was Enzo Maresca who masterminded the Blues’ shock 3-0 victory over the Ligue 1 giants last summer, with Chelsea producing a rampant first-half display to stun the Champions League winners.

The Italian’s spell at Stamford Bridge soon turned sour, however, and he departed the club by mutual consent on New Year’s Day following talks with Juventus and Manchester City, and a serious dip in form.

The Chelsea hierarchy turned to their sister club Strasbourg amid their pursuit of a replacement and Liam Rosenior has been a major success since his arrival in west London.

The Englishman has won 10 of his 15 matches as Blues boss, with his only three defeats coming against Arsenal - who are arguably the best team in world football at current.

However, his biggest test is yet to come in the form of a two-legged clash against PSG in the Champions League last-16. Luis Enrique’s side have been somewhat underwhelming this campaign, but they remain one of the best teams in Europe and they head into the tie as slight favourites to progress.

Chelsea will, of course, back themselves to secure passage into the quarter-finals and in Joao Pedro they have one of the most in-form players in world football at their disposal.

But, there is one key issue that Rosenior must address ahead of the tie: Chelsea’s disciplinary record.

The Blues have picked up nine red cards across all competitions so far this season and it’s plagued their campaign. When excluding games in which Chelsea have gone down to 10 men, they have won 12, drawn seven and lost only three of their 22 matches in the Premier League this season.

By comparison, in the seven league fixtures in which they’ve received a red card, Chelsea have won just once, drawn twice and lost four times. Their only win with 10 men came versus Nottingham Forest back in October, with Malo Gusto sent off in the 87th minute when Chelsea were already 3-0 up.

Rosenior will need 11 men on the pitch at all times in both ties, but there’s one training trick he could copy from Chelsea legend Jose Mourinho if the Blues’ disciplinary issue rears its ugly head again.

Why Liam Rosenior should copy Jose Mourinho

At the start of the 2015-16 season, Chelsea conceded seven goals in their opening three Premier League matches, with their cause not helped by Thibaut Courtois and John Terry being dismissed against Swansea and West Brom respectively.

In response, Mourinho specifically trained with 10 players in order to prepare his team in case another red card occurred.

He confirmed this tactic during a pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea’s 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace in August 2015. “We did a few things,” Mourinho told reporters at the time.

“We defended [with] nine men [and a goalkeeper]. We did other tactical aspects to try and improve the team, but I didn't just work the defenders.

“I worked the team. You have to defend as a team. You cannot blame defenders for goals conceded. A team is a team. A good team defends as a team.”

Given Chelsea’s red card record this season, Rosenior would be wise to follow in Mourinho’s footsteps by devising a plan for how to defend if the Blues go down to 10 men against PSG in either leg.

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