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The full transcript from Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior's pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday evening's Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg against Arsenal
Liam Rosenior has just completed his pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea's Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg against Arsenal on Wednesday evening.
The Blues take on their fierce rivals, with Rosenior 180 minutes from a game at Wembley. The newly-appointed Chelsea head coach previewed the showdown, and spoke about numerous other subjects during this afternoon's presser - and here is every word he had to say:
How was it when you kind of finished the game, got your first win and got home. Did you have a second to take it all in?
I went to sleep.
Did you, straight away?
Yeah, that's the best sleep I've had in about a week. Yeah, it's been a great week, a week I'll never forget. Good win, good way to start. Now we have a really, really big game in a couple of days. I'm really, really looking forward to seeing how we'll do.
When was the last time you were at Stamford Bridge?
Oh, I did a game. It was a charity game, a charity event. I actually played. I wasn't very good.
Who were you playing with?
I played with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. It was about five years ago. Jimmy Floyd was playing. It was a really, really good mix of people. We had a really good time. It was for charity.
Arsenal on Wednesday is probably one of the biggest games of your managerial career, isn't it?
I think people will look at it that way. People will look at it that way. I don't see it that way. I think every session that I take, every meeting that I take, every game that we play is the most important thing. I live in the now. It is the most important game because it's the next one. I mean that. If you start to prioritise games or think something's more important than the other, then you're not focused. I don't care if it's a pre-season game. I'm doing it at my maximum. I expect that from whichever group I work with. So, for me, that keeps me calm because I'm happy with the process in which we work as a staff and which the players are taking on. I'm not making it any bigger than the fact it's the next game and we have to win. That's the way I see it.
Do you see similarities between Mikel Arteta coming in at Arsenal and being unproven as a manager and you coming in now at Chelsea?
Everyone starts somewhere. It doesn't matter. I think Mikel is someone who's done an incredible job. He's had time to build the way he wants his team to look. They're very well organised. They're very good in terms of their organisation in every aspect of the game. He's done a very, very good job there. Like I said, everyone has to start somewhere. I'm really, really looking forward to the game. It's just one of those things that everybody has a different background. Everyone has a different way of getting to somewhere. And you respect everybody in the industry, because it's a difficult industry to be in. Especially as a coach, you're judged on every word, every action, every game. If you can't deal with that pressure, then you shouldn't be in a job.
I guess when you look at what he has done, and you talked a lot about culture, didn't you? Getting that right and the energy in. That's the sort of project, I guess, you'd like to emulate here?
Yes, I'd love to be here for six years or longer. I'd be here as long as possible. But I'm aware in order for that to happen, I need to win. It's as simple as that. I understand every club has a different project. This word 'project' comes out a lot now in football. But the idea in any project is that every game you play, you're trying to win it. It's as simple as that. So for me, my focus is, yes, I've got ideas about what I want the team to look like in a year's time, two years, three years' time. But I think I've got enough resources and enough tools with me now to win that. I've made that clear to the players. We're going to give our best shot on Wednesday. The lads trained very, very well this morning. I'll make a decision on the team in the next few days. Hopefully, we're going to attack the game.
How much preparation can you realistically do before Wednesday? Can they handle high pressure games?
They've already shown [that]. We've been working tactically on Arsenal from the moment I came into the club. We know what an important game it is. We've watched all of their games, analysed every aspect of their game, including set-plays, which they're very good at. Yes, there's a lot you can affect. We talk about systems and tactics. What I was very happy with, after being for two days, I saw an attitude in the team against Charlton that I really, really liked in terms of our energy, in terms of our intensity to press, in terms of winning duels. You're going to need that against a very, very good team on Wednesday night.
Team news?
Obviously, Moises [Caicedo] is suspended. He was marvellous in the last game. We've had no injury problems coming out from Charlton, which is a really, really good thing. I'll make a decision on Cole [Palmer], Reece [James] and Malo [Gusto] tomorrow. I'm giving them some extra time. Doing the press conference two days before is not ideal. Sorry about that, but I've got time to make a decision. I haven't made a decision on the team. I will make that decision tomorrow or the morning of Wednesday.
We shouldn't have any broader concerns about the fitness of those players? Are they just being managed?
They're being managed. It was a good time for them to rest in the FA Cup game. I believe in this group. There's no reason to take risks on players' health if you believe that you can win the game and they can come through and get extra training sessions and extra bits of work. That's the way it's worked out so far.
Arsenal have been called 'Set-Piece FC' this season. Have they gone back in time with the way they play?
Arsenal are good at everything. They're good at everything. They have a good team. It's not about taking the game back in time. You have to manage your 1% to be as good a team to win as many different ways as possible. I respect them. I think they'll respect us, we're a good team as well. But no, people can talk. I don't know who's calling them Set-Piece FC. I'm definitely not. I think they're a team who are very good without the ball. I think they have a really, really clear idea in the way they want to play with the ball. On top of that, they're very, very well organised with good deliveries on set-pieces. That's what you want to be if you want to be successful. That's the idea for every coach.
If you were to win the Carabao Cup in your first season, would that buy you time here?
I don't look at it like I've said. It's not cliche. I want to win every game I play. It's very simple. If you don't take care of the next game, those trophies don't exist. It's as simple as that. I'm not thinking about buying time. I'm thinking about winning the next game. I felt about that against Charlton. I feel about that against Arsenal. After that, I'll feel about that against Brantford. I'm focused on the moment. I'm focused on putting on the best training sessions, the best meetings, the best advice, the best information I can to win the next game. Because of it, honestly, finals and trophies don't exist if you don't take care of them now.
Is this the best Arsenal team since the Invincibles?
That's a good question. I'll never forget that. My first time was at Fulham at Highbury. I was 17, 18, I was on the bench for Fulham and I couldn't believe the size, the physicality of that team, Bergkamp, Vieira. They were a good side, the Invincibles. I don't think it helps to label teams. We're in January. There's so much time left in the season. What I would say is Mikel has done a great job. They're very well organised. They're very well structured in every phase of the game. But this team and this club already proved this year with 10 men that we caused problems before I came to the club. We want to do the same again on Wednesday night.
I assume that's one of the games you've watched, right? And do you see, even with 10 men, how Chelsea caused the problems? Do you see that you can replicate that on Wednesday?
Yeah, fundamentally, there are tactical things that happen within the game. The way you press, the way you build. But what I loved about that game was the intensity of our group. If you don't have intensity, if you're not willing to do the basics or win duels or defence that plays well, you make it very, very difficult to win. So we need to have a really, really good game on Wednesday. But I'm confident in the group that they've shown, and not just in the time before me, but in the last few days, they're really hungry. They really believe in themselves and it's going to be a really, really good occasion on Wednesday night.
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