Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior admitted he lost his cool at Arsenal’s players over what he considers a lack of “respect” shown to his team ahead of Tuesday’s Carabao Cup semifinal second leg.
Sky Sports cameras captured the Blues boss in an angry exchange with the home team on the Emirates Stadium pitch before kick-off, accusing them of encroaching into Chelsea’s half.
Teams typically take a half of the pitch each to warm up in and Rosenior unleashed a side of his character hitherto unseen during his time in charge to remonstrate with the Gunners over their lack of “etiquette.”
“When you warm up you have your half and the other team have their half,” he said. “In that moment I didn’t think it was right where they were operating. They were affecting my lads’ warm-up.
“So I asked them, maybe not politely, to make sure they stay in their half. I’m not here to have mind games, it’s just what I think is right and respectful.
“There’s certain etiquette in football. I don’t have an issue with anyone at Arsenal. It was just in that moment I didn’t think that respect was shown to my team.”
Chelsea went on to lose 1-0 to a goal scored in the seventh minute of stoppage time by their former player Kai Havertz, sending Arsenal to Wembley with a 4-2 aggregate win.
It is not the first time that controversy has been stirred over the issue of pre-match warm-ups.
Former Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp would frequently stand on or near the halfway line close to where opposition teams were going through their paces and watch intently.
Critics at the time accused him of attempting to intimidate the other team, but speaking at an event in January last year he clarified the reason behind the habit.
“Actually I did it to understand the other team a little bit better,” Klopp said “They thought I did it to intimidate them.”
Chelsea’s Carabao Cup exit has been the only setback of Rosenior’s first month in charge which has brought three wins out of three in the Premier League as well as direct progression to the last 16 of the Champions League.
His biggest challenge so far has been dealing with intense media interest in Cole Palmer. The team’s most creative player has been out of form this season and reports emerged in January that he was unsettled and favoured a return to his native Manchester.
There has also been the issue of fitness. His minutes have been carefully managed following a groin injury that caused him to miss a number of weeks before Christmas and he has been unable to string together a run of games.
Rosenior said both Palmer and Estêvão are ready to play 90 minutes away at Wolves on Saturday, and added: “We have the very best medical team, the very best sports science team. We do many tests. We want to make sure these players can play at the level they need to play at to help us win.
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“In terms of Cole, there isn’t a timeframe where he’s going to be perfect in a month or two months, it’s just game to game.
“He’s bought in, he’s been magnificent. He is maturing as a human being and he understands the bigger picture which is his career.”
Forward Jamie Gittens was injured in the 3-2 win against West Ham last week and missed the defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.
Coach Liam Rosenior did not give a timeframe on his recovery on Thursday.
“Unfortunately it’s looking a little more long-term for him,” Rosenior said. “He’s got a tear in his hamstring which is a real shame for him and he will be a big miss for us.
“I’ve not had the chance to work with him for long but I know about his career and what an outstanding player he is, so it’s a big loss. It’s too early to say how long he will be out for.”
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.