Liam Rosenior has discussed the blend of challenges that accompany facing teams at different ends of the Premier League table, and he believes we travel to the league leaders Arsenal on Sunday in a promising run of form.
Our top-flight fixtures following Rosenior’s arrival as head coach last month have, on paper, pitted us predominantly against sides battling to avoid relegation: the likes of West Ham, Wolves, Leeds and Burnley.
March brings a step change, beginning with a trip to Arsenal tomorrow and a midweek visit to third-placed side Aston Villa. The Champions League also returns, in addition to matches against Newcastle United and a trip to Everton.
Ahead of this week's fixtures, Rosenior has discussed the progress made thus far in his tenure and emphasised that the Premier League's competitiveness means no match, regardless of an opponent's position in the table, is a forgone conclusion.
‘The Premier League is so difficult every week, the challenges you face, the tactical problems you have, the physicality of the league, mean I don’t judge one game as hard as the other,’ stressed Rosenior.
‘What happens against a higher team in the league is that they are more open because they want to attack more. So there are different tactical things you can work on.
‘I am very happy with this group and the start we have made,’ added the head coach. ‘We have won eight out of 12; it should be ten out of 12. That is not a bad foundation to start from. So we need to stay confident and focused and take each game as it comes.’
The Blues have seven games in three weeks in March: four testing Premier League fixtures, a trip to Wrexham in the FA Cup, and a two-legged Champions League Round of 16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain.
Rosenior detailed how he hopes time off afforded to the players over what has been a relatively quiet past fortnight will reap dividends in the long run.
He said: ‘Giving them time off wasn’t about just one game; it was about the rest of the season. Hopefully, that’ll pay off. We want to make sure the players are physically and mentally as ready as possible.
‘They have looked very good in training this week and we’ve got players coming back from injury as well, which is very helpful. So we have to stay calm, stay consistent in our process, and tick off each game as it comes.’