Mikel Arteta has apologised to Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior after his Arsenal team were accused of disrespect this week.
Rosenior hit out at Arsenal for encroaching on his side’s half during the warm-up for their Carabao Cup semi-final in midweek. The Chelsea coach was seen expressing his unhappiness towards the Arsenal staff and accused the Gunners of disrespecting his team.
“I don’t know, it’s his opinion and we respect everybody,” Arteta said to the media ahead of facing Sunderland this week.
“At any point, if one of the staff members did that, we apologise. It’s very common in football. With the keepers they need to kick long balls.”
Rosenior has said that Arsenal ignored ‘certain etiquettes in football’ by intruding on Chelsea’s warm-up area at the Emirates.
“It wasn’t the players,” said Rosenior. “When you warm up, you have your half and the other team have their half.
“I’ve never asked my team or coaches to encroach on the opposition’s territory. In that moment, I didn’t think it was right where they were operating, they were affecting our warm up.
“I asked them, maybe not politely, to make sure they stay in their half. I’m not here to have mind games, it’s just what I think is right and respectful. Hopefully, we respect that and other teams do too.
“There are certain etiquettes in football. I don’t have an issue with anyone at Arsenal Football Club. [Arsenal manager] Mikel [Arteta] is someone I’ve got so much respect for. It was just in that moment, I didn’t think that respect was shown to my team.”
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