Chelsea new manager Liam Rosenior has revealed he would love to emulate Mikel Arteta’s longevity at Arsenal in his role at Stamford Bridge but is under no illusions as to what is required to make that happen.
Rosenior will make his Stamford Bridge debut on Wednesday evening in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal, who have steadily improved over six years under Arteta and are now favourites for the Premier League title.
Asked about the journey Arsenal have been on under Arteta and the time he has been given to build, Rosenior said: ‘Yeah, I’d love to be here for six years and longer.
‘But I’m aware that in order for that to happen, I need to win. It’s as simple as that.
‘Every club has a different project, and the word project comes out a lot in football, but the idea in any project is you are trying to win every game.
‘I’ve got ideas about what I want the team to look like in a year, two years, three years, but I’ve got enough resources and enough tools with me now to win and I’ve made that clear to the players.’
Liam Rosenior gives a team talk during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Charlton Athletic and Chelsea. (Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
When pressed further on whether he sees similarities between his own journey and that of Arteta, who was also appointed as a young coach to his first Premier League role when he joined Arsenal in 2019, Rosenior, 41, added: ‘Everyone starts somewhere.
‘Mikel is someone who has done an incredible job. He’s had time to build the way he wants the team to look. They’re very well organised.
‘Everyone has a different background, and a way of getting somewhere. So, you respect everyone in the industry, because it’s a difficult industry especially as a coach where you’re judged on every word and action.
‘If you can’t deal with that pressure you shouldn’t be in the job.’
Rosenior also revealed he will make a late call on the fitness of Cole Palmer, Reece James and Malo Gusto after the trio missed the weekend’s 5-1 FA Cup victory against Charlton as the Blues continue to manage their minutes.
‘I’ll make a decision on Cole, Reece and Malo tomorrow,’ he added. ‘I’m giving them some extra time.
‘It was a good time for them to rest in an FA Cup game. I believe in this group, and there’s no reason to take risks on players’ health if you believe that you can win the game and they can do extra training sessions and extra bits of work.
