Mikel Arteta has expressed regret to Chelsea following Liam Rosenior’s remarks about a “lack of respect” shown by the north London club during the warm-ups prior to Tuesday’s Carabao Cup semifinal second leg.
Arsenal secured their place at Wembley with a 1-0 victory on the evening, resulting in a 4-2 win on aggregate. However, video later surfaced of Chelsea manager Rosenior instructing opposing staff to remain in their half as both teams completed their final preparations at Emirates Stadium.
Rosenior later clarified that “they were impacting our warm-up,” and while he stated, “I don’t have an issue with anyone at Arsenal [or] Mikel [Arteta],” he remarked that “in that moment, I didn’t feel that respect was extended to my team.”
Addressing the matter on Friday, Arteta responded, “I don’t know, it’s his perspective and we certainly respect everyone.”
“If at any time one of our staff members crossed that line, we apologize and that’s all there is to it. It’s quite common in football, particularly with the goalkeepers as they need to kick long balls and so forth. So there’s nothing more to say on that.”
Arteta dismissed the notion that any psychological tactics were employed before the match.
“I have no idea, but I don’t believe that was deliberate,” he stated. “I will focus on what I consider important for the team and what benefits the team and the club, that is certain.”
The Gunners will host Sunderland on Saturday, looking to extend their lead at the top of the table to nine points. They were held to a 2-2 draw in the previous encounter in November.
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“As always, we’ve aimed to prepare every weekend,” Arteta noted. “Every opponent presents unique challenges, and we must confront them, which we have been doing for several months now.
“That is what we need to keep doing, playing with our determination and commitment in every single match. If we achieve that, we stand a significant chance of winning our games.”
Arteta mentioned that Martin Ødegaard will return “in a matter of days” after sustaining a minor muscular issue at Leeds last weekend, while Jurriën Timber is available.
Bukayo Saka’s hip issue is “much improved, and hopefully he will be back with us very soon.”
