Arteta apologises to Rosenior after warm-up row

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has apologised to Chelsea assistant coach Liam Rosenior after the latter accused the Gunners of showing a lack of respect during pre-match warm-ups ahead of their League Cup semi-final clash at the Emirates Stadium.

Rosenior was reportedly upset after Arsenal staff encroached onto Chelsea’s half of the pitch, prompting him to shout for them to remain in their own area. He later clarified: “I’ve never asked my team or coaches to encroach on the opposition’s territory… I just didn’t think that respect was shown to my team in that moment.”

Arsenal went on to defeat Chelsea 1-0, sealing a 4-2 aggregate victory and a place in the final against Manchester City on March 22.

Speaking on Friday, Arteta said: “It’s his opinion and we respect everybody. At any point, if one of the staff members did that, we apologise. It’s very common in football. With the keepers they need to kick long balls.”

The Arsenal boss also addressed Premier League ambitions, with his side six points clear of Manchester City and seven ahead of Aston Villa. Arteta stressed caution, noting Sunderland’s resilience earlier this season: “We are busy with games and training. We are far from that [title talk]. We are here to learn and improve.”

In addition to their domestic form, Arsenal remain in contention for the Champions League and FA Cup, having not lifted a trophy since the 2020 FA Cup. Arteta praised his squad’s spirit, saying: “It’s an amazing group and they are doing an incredible job so far. We are all very excited and privileged to have each other. We are going to enjoy it till the end of the season.”

AFP