Rosenior says Chelsea have to win EFL cup semi finals clash with Arsenal

Coach Liam Rosenior believes Chelsea already have the resources to deliver wins as they prepare to host Arsenal in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final on Wednesday, in his second game in charge. Rosenior was named Chelsea coach last Tuesday, and their five-game winless run ended with a 5-1 FA Cup victory at Charlton on Saturday. The game against Arsenal will be his first as coach against a fellow Premier League side.

“I’d love to be here six years or longer. But to do that, you need to start winning. So my focus is that I have ideas of how the team should look like in one or two years,” Rosenior told reporters on Monday. “But I already have resources here to win. The lads trained very, very well today. We will make a decision on the team in the coming days and go and attack the game.”

The 41-year-old said Chelsea have been preparing for the clash with Arsenal since the moment he took over. “We’ve been working tactically on Arsenal from the moment I came into the club. Watched all of their games, analysed every aspect of their game, including set plays, at which they’re very good at,” he added.

Rosenior, however, said the threats posed by Premier League leaders Arsenal went well beyond just set pieces. “I don’t know who’s calling them Set Piece FC. I’m definitely not. They’re a team who are very good without the ball. They have a really, really clear idea of the way they want to play with the ball,” he said. “On top of that, they’re very well organised with good delivery on set plays. That’s what you want to be if you want to be successful.”

The coach said he did not feel any added pressure going into a big game so early on the job. “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, and that’s the way I see it,” he said .