Arteta has heard things about Roseniorplaceholder image
Arteta has heard things about Rosenior | AFP via Getty Images
Mikel Arteta has been speaking about Chelsea’s new boss Liam Rosenior ahead of facing off in the Carabao Cup.
Chelsea will be tricky opponents over two legs, and this could be an awkward time to play them given they have just changed managers, replacing Enzo Maresca with Rosenior.
Rosenior has only had one game in charge so far - a comfortable win over Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup, and that limited insight, as far as Arsenal are concerned, could make this first semi-final, in particular, a more difficult prospect.
Rosenior arrives having had managerial experience at Hull City and Strasbourg, and while Arteta doesn’t know him personally, he has heard good things from those inside the game.
“No, I know people that have worked with him, I know people that have been close to him in his journey, especially as a coach and they talk really highly of him,” said the Spaniard in his pre-match press conference. “So yeah, wish him all the best apart from tomorrow obviously.”
On whether Rosenior’s journey to becoming a head coach of a top club is inspiring, Arteta added: “Well personally my motivation was to help the club and transform the football club, that was it, not to prove people wrong.
“That, in my case, wasn’t a motivation. Obviously they know him really well because they have worked together with him for a few years now so they made that decision based, for sure, because of his capacity and because they believe that he deserves and is the best person to lead that project.”
Eyeing gold in the Carabao Cup
Asked about the prospect of reaching the final and winning this competition, Arteta said: “I know that to do that you have to be better than the opposition tomorrow and that’s what we have to do. The rest is not in our control, so we have prepared the game really well.
“The boys are really motivated and at it because we can sense that that’s where we want to be and we have to make another step in order to achieve what we want and that’s the objective tomorrow.”
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