New Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior says it’s important the players never get ahead of themselves in search of silverware.

Speaking ahead of their Carabao Cup semifinal first-leg clash with Arsenal, Rosenior was asked if winning the trophy would be a great early filip to his Chelsea career.

“If you don’t take care of the next game, those trophies don’t exist,” he said.

“So, all I’m thinking about is winning the next game. I felt that against Charlton. I feel that about Arsenal. And after that, I’ll feel that about Brentford.

“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 honestly, finals and trophies don’t exist if you don’t take care of the now.”

On the ruthlessness of Chelsea’s board, Rosenior insists he made the move from Strasbourg with eyes wide open.

“I’d love to be here for six years and longer, but I’m aware for that to happen, I need to win,” said Rosenior.

“I understand every club has a different project and the word ‘project’ comes out a lot now in football, but the idea in any project is in every game you play, you’re trying to win it. It’s as simple as that.

“So, yes, I’ve got ideas about what I want the team to look like in a year’s time, two years’ time, three years’ time. But I think I’ve got enough resources and enough tools with me now to win now. I’ve made that clear to the players. So, we’re going to give it our best shot on Wednesday.

“The lads trained very, very well this morning and I’ll make a decision on the team in the next few days and hopefully we go and attack the game.”

…‘It’s a bit surprising’ – Deco, Laporta react to Xabi Alonso’s departure and Alvaro Arbeloa’s appointment

Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon says he was surprised by Xabi Alonso’s dismissal, admitting a lack of planning hindered his time at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Los Blancos announced on Monday that they had dismissed Alonso from his position as head coach following their 3-2 Supercopa de Espana loss to Barcelona on Sunday.

The Spaniard’s tenure lasted just seven months, though his position had reportedly been under threat for a number of months due to poor results and suggestions of disagreements with players.

Alonso had been touted as Madrid’s next long-term boss after he replaced Carlo Ancelotti ahead of the Club World Cup, but his time in the dugout lasted just 34 games.

And Calderon, who served as Madrid’s president between July 2006 and January 2009, says the exits of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in the last two seasons made things difficult for the Spanish giants as they failed to bring in ready replacements.

“Firstly, I think it has been a surprise,” Calderon told Stats Perform.

“Indeed, a rumour about the possibility of him being dismissed, but yesterday’s game [the Supercopa loss] demonstrated that the team were not on the wrong path; they could perfectly have drawn or even won.

“The image was not bad, but it was indeed a painful defeat. Against Barcelona is always like that, but in the end, the president’s [Florentino Perez] decision has been to sack him.

“This is a presidentialist club; there is no sports director, and there is no proper sportive assessment, football-wise, so the president does and undoes.

“From my point of view, the planning was not the most adequate because the midfield has been harmed following Luka Modric and Toni Kroos’ absences.”

Alonso won 24 of his matches in charge of Madrid (D4 L6), boasting a 70.6% win rate.

Overall, of the permanent coaches to take charge of Madrid, Alonso has the fifth-best win rate, after Manuel Pellegrini (75%), Ancelotti (74.8%), Radomir Antic (72.2%) and Jose Mourinho (71.9%).

However, as well as the Supercopa loss, Madrid were knocked out of the Club World Cup in the semi-finals, and sit second in LaLiga, four points behind Barcelona.

Asked how he would have approached making the decision over Alonso’s future, Calderon explained that he would have deferred to those around him with a more footballing background.

“I would have asked the sporting director, in my case, Pedja Mijatovic, and his team were the ones who made the sporting decisions, because they were the ones who knew,” he said.

“I have always said that the fan who knows the most knows less than the professional who knows the least.

“Ultimately, the professionals are the ones who have to make the decisions; they know the weaknesses and strengths of the squads, the characteristics of the coaches, and I would have asked him, and he would have made the decision.”

Alonso’s former team-mate Alvaro Arbeloa, who was the head of Madrid’s Castilla, has been named as the new head coach.

“I’m not in a position to say,” Calderon said when asked who he would have picked as a replacement.

“But when I signed Mijatovic, he told me that [Fabio] Capello was the manager. When Capello didn’t manage the team well, even though he won a league title, he told me that [Bernd] Schuster was the answer, and that’s what we did.

“I don’t have the expertise. There are very good and very important coaches in the world of football, but most of them are not available, and that is a decision that the president will have to make again.

“Until now, he has made decisions, as I said, based on his own criteria, without taking advice from anyone, and it hasn’t gone badly for him; the results are there. So, we’ll just have to wait and see if he gets it right again.”

Meanwhile, Barcelona sporting director Deco admits he’s been surprised to see Xabi Alonso sacked as Real Madrid manager and replaced by Alvaro Arbeloa after the Spanish Super Cup final defeat to Hansi Flick’s side.

Alonso has left his job after just seven months in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu, and Deco has been asked to share his thoughts on the situation at Barca’s biggest rivals.

“We’re focused on our own business. We don’t think about what’s happening at other clubs, but the pressure at Barça and Madrid is always tough, and when results don’t come, the coaches are the first to suffer. It’s a bit surprising because it hasn’t been that long. They lost the Super Cup, but they’re four points behind in La Liga, and they’re doing well in the Champions League,” he told RAC1.

“But I prefer not to comment from the outside, and I don’t like to because I don’t know what’s going on day-to-day. These aren’t our issues. When you ask me about Hansi, the feeling was much better than the numbers. With Hansi, we knew the good times would return.”

Deco was also asked for his thoughts on Arbeloa but wasn’t giving anything away.

“I understand that Madrid is very important, but we’re focused on our own game,” he added.

“I don’t know if Arbeloa is a good coach. I don’t know him. I don’t know if it’s a permanent move or not, and I don’t want to dwell too long on Madrid.”

Pep Guardiola says he cares more about how Manchester City “grow up” than winning trophies as he prepares his side for the first leg of their League Cup semi-final away to Newcastle on Tuesday.

City ended last season without a major trophy for the first time in eight years, though they did lift the Community Shield at the start of the campaign, beating Manchester United on penalties.

Guardiola, asked at his pre-match press conference on Monday if he felt extra pressure after missing out on the big prizes last season, insisted he was not focused on silverware.

“It’s not about winning or not winning trophies, it’s about how the team grows up, how the team is better,” the City manager said.

“Last season we didn’t deserve to win more than just one trophy, because we didn’t play good. So satisfaction to win a trophy when we are not playing good, can happen, you know, knockout stages, (you can be) lucky.

“It’s not about that. Believe me, it’s not about that. We are here to make the team play better, the satisfaction is to make a good performance for ourselves, our fans.”