New Chelsea boss Rosenior faces FA Cup test

London, 9 Jan - Liam Rosenior's first match as Chelsea manager comes laced with giant-killing danger as he takes the Blues to second-tier Charlton in the FA Cup third round.

Troubled Tottenham boss Thomas Frank is fighting to avoid the sack, while 
Manchester United are also in turmoil as caretaker manager Darren Fletcher 
tries to lift the gloom.

AFP Sport looks at three coaches in the spotlight as clubs take a break from 
the Premier League to concentrate on the FA Cup this weekend:

Rosenior set for Chelsea debut

Liam Rosenior's last taste of managing in English football came in the sedate 
surroundings of Plymouth, where his Hull side slumped to a 1-0 defeat to 
bring a disappointing end to their bid to reach the Championship play-offs in 
May 2024.

When Rosenior was sacked just days after that loss, a less confident 
character would have found it hard to believe they were destined to manage 
Chelsea less than two years later.

But the ultra-driven Rosenior has done exactly that, earning a reputation as 
a young coach to watch by leading unfashionable Strasbourg to a seventh place 
finish in the French league last season.

Despite his solid work at another club controlled by Chelsea owners BlueCo, 
Rosenior was still a surprise choice to replace Enzo Maresca at Stamford 
Bridge.

Now the 41-year-old will experience life under a microscope, with his debut 
at The Valley serving as an intriguing introduction.

Rosenior knows he must make a fast start to keep the doubters at bay and a 
loss at Charlton, languishing in 19th place in the Championship, would be a 
disastrous opening to his reign.

"For this opportunity to come up at this stage of my career is great but my 
biggest focus is not about being Chelsea manager, it's about being a winning 
Chelsea manager," said Rosenior, whose father Leroy played for Charlton in 
the 1990s.

"We need to hit the ground running for the rest of the season."

Frank on the brink

Heralded as a slam-dunk appointment after his impressive spell with 
Brentford, Thomas Frank's Tottenham travails have shown the Dane just how 
hard managing one of the Premier League's biggest clubs really is.

Tottenham moved quickly to hire the 52-year-old after sacking Ange 
Postecoglou at the end of last season.

But, like so many of his Tottenham predecessors, Frank has found it 
impossible to live up to expectations at the north London club.

In stark contrast to Postecoglou's attacking game-plan, Frank's prosaic 
tactics focus on defensive organisation, work-rate and set-piece prowess.

Those qualities were lauded at Brentford but Tottenham fans see their club 
far differently.

After three wins in their last 13 games, many have already turned on the 
Dane, who will be pushed closer to the sack if they lose at home to Aston 
Villa on Saturday.

Fletcher auditions for Man Utd role

Having stepped in as Manchester United's caretaker boss, Darren Fletcher has 
another chance to impress and keep the Red Devils' hopes of silverware this 
season alive against Brighton.

United plan to use an interim head coach to see them through until May while 
they search for a permanent boss after dismissing Ruben Amorim on Monday.

The club have reportedly spoken to their former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 
and ex-midfielder Michael Carrick, sacked by Middlesbrough earlier this 
season, about returning as interim boss.

Fletcher's case to remain in charge beyond the weekend was not aided by a 2-2 
draw at lowly Burnley on Wednesday, despite a much-improved display in 
attacking areas.

A dismal run of one win from their last five games at Old Trafford brought 
the curtain down on Amorim's troubled reign.

Fletcher has to stop that rot against the Seagulls, who had won on their 
three previous trips to the Theatre of Dreams prior to a 4-2 defeat in 
October.