Liam Rosenior has stated his desire to change aspects of Chelsea's game in time as their lack of running in comparison to rivals Arsenal is flagged ahead of their Sunday showdown
Liam Rosenior has been honest about what he can do with his Chelsea side at present
Liam Rosenior has been honest about what he can do with his Chelsea side at present(Image: Getty Images)
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Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior admitted that Chelsea cannot cover the type of ground that Arsenal do during a match and that is an issue he "can’t solve in a short space of time".
The Blues head to the Emirates, seeking to get a first win over the Gunners this season at the fourth time of asking. Arsenal need to re-establish their five point lead at the top whilst Chelsea remain in the Champions League picture and need to keep pace.
But the new man in the dugout at Stamford Bridge has owned the fact his side cover the least ground of any team in the top flight - and that may well be highlighted this Sunday with Arsenal getting round the pitch more than any other outfit.
Of all the Premier League clubs the side from north London have amassed a staggering 1,988 miles in total ground covered. Chelsea sit bottom of the same metric, with 1,773 miles.
Rosenior concedes that isn't something he can change over night, albeit Chelsea have played a staggering amount of matches since the beginning of last season due to the amount of competitions they've been involved in.
He said: "It’s really difficult. I know where I want this team to get to, in every aspect. You always want to be at the top of every category. Arsenal are a very physical, very high pressing, high energy team. I want us to be high pressing and high energy as well. That is something that you can’t solve in a short space of time. That comes over a period of months and hopefully years."
He also added: "It’s OK in your mind to say, 'I want to play this way'. But you have to tailor that to the players, and their experiences, and where they are at this stage of the season.
Chelsea have failed to beat Arsenal in all three meetings so far this season
Chelsea have failed to beat Arsenal in all three meetings so far this season(Image: Getty)
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‘You can't come in and completely change their training schedule and what they are used to, because they will get injured. This is a longer term thing for me to address. At the moment, my focus, and the way we work, is game by game, what's best for these players to win. That’s how it's going to be for the rest of the season."
Chelsea copped huge criticism for their approach the last time they visited Arsenal, when they knew they needed to win to keep alive their Carabao Cup hopes. They failed to fire a shot, but Rosenior fired back and claimed: "I've been a pundit, it's easy in hindsight. If I go and attack the game and press really high, people will ask what I am doing."
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