Rosenior Addresses Respect Issues After Chelsea’s Defeat to Arsenal

Liam Rosenior was captured on camera during the pre-match warm-up prior to Chelsea’s EFL Cup match against Arsenal, where he directed heated remarks towards the Gunners. He was heard shouting, “Stay in your half. Stay in your f*****g half. F*****g stay there.”

Although the footage did not reveal the specific target of his comments, Rosenior later accused Arsenal of displaying a lack of respect. Following Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat, which resulted in a 4-2 aggregate loss, he clarified that his frustration was aimed not at the players, but rather at the coaching staff. He claimed they failed to show Chelsea the appropriate level of respect during the warm-up.

In an interview with reporters, Rosenior stated, “It wasn’t the players. I’m respectful. When you warm up, you have your half, the other team has their half. I have never instructed my team or coaches to encroach on the opposition’s territory. At that moment, I felt their positioning was inappropriate. They were disrupting my players’ warm-up, and my staff’s warm-up. So, I asked them—perhaps not in the most polite manner—to remain in their half.”

He continued, “I’m not here for mind games. I simply believe in maintaining respect on the field. I hope we can all adhere to that principle, as it is vital in football. I always strive to be respectful; I want to win. I have no personal issues with anyone at Arsenal Football Club. I have great respect for their manager, Mikel Arteta; my frustration was about the lack of respect shown to my team in that moment.”

Rosenior’s Chelsea team managed to come back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat West Ham 3-2 over the weekend, but they faced a challenging defeat at the Emirates. He acknowledged the boos from fans during the first half against West Ham, admitting, “I would have booed us too; our performance was below par.”

As the new Chelsea manager, Rosenior understands the pressure to win over the fanbase and recognizes that only he can demonstrate his suitability for the role. He remarked, “It’s on me. I hope in time, they will see this as the best decision the club has ever made. I can’t dwell on that. The fans want trophies, and I share that ambition. With six wins from seven games, it’s not a bad start.”

Looking ahead to the upcoming match against Wolves, Rosenior confirmed that Cole Palmer is fit to play the full 90 minutes. However, winger Jamie Gittens has suffered a hamstring injury, which he described as a significant loss for the team, saying, “He’s looking at a longer recovery. It’s a real shame for him. I haven’t worked with him for long, but I am aware of his outstanding talent. This will be a big miss for us.”