Rosenior Defends Carabao Cup Tactics as Arsenal Reach Final Over Chelsea

Liam Rosenior has pushed back against the backlash to his team's approach in Chelsea's Carabao Cup semi-final elimination, making clear that commentary from outside the club holds no sway over his methods.

The Blues manager opted for a measured gameplan at the Emirates, keeping things compact through the opening hour despite needing to find the net. Cole Palmer and Estevao were introduced as the match progressed, ramping up the attacking threat in the final half-hour, but Arsenal's second-leg clincher never arrived. Instead, Kai Havertz's breakaway finish confirmed the Gunners' passage to the final against Manchester City, with the tie settled 4-2 on aggregate.

Rosenior's setup has drawn scrutiny in the aftermath, yet the 41-year-old remains unmoved by the criticism. "The noise doesn't surprise me at all. What other teams do has nothing to do with me," he said. "What people say outside the club makes no difference to my decision making. In hindsight, we didn't go through so there are always things you can do differently, but that was a very, very solid performance against a team very good at home."

The Chelsea boss also found himself at the centre of a viral moment during the pre-match warm-up, when he was captured remonstrating with Arsenal players to remain in their own half. While stressing he harbours no ill-feeling toward anyone at the north London club, Rosenior felt the boundary between the two technical areas had been breached.

"When you warm up, we have our half and the other team have their half," he explained. "I've never asked my team or coaches to encroach on the other team's territory. I thought they were affecting our warm up. I asked them, maybe not politely, to move away. I don't have an issue with anyone at Arsenal Football Club. It was just in that moment, I don't think that respect was shown to my team."

Looking ahead to Saturday's fixture at Wolves, Rosenior addressed his rotation policy, which has seen regular changes to Chelsea's starting eleven since his appointment—a pattern established by predecessor Enzo Maresca. The manager insists there is no fixed best XI at his disposal.

"I don't have a best XI. I have a best starting team and a best finishing team," he said. "I don't think best XIs are the way to go. I'm learning about the group all the time. They know the journey I want to go on with them."