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Tag: Maurizio Sarri

  • Chelsea: I respect Cahill but I need technical defenders – Sarri

    Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has admitted that while he respects long-serving defender Gary Cahill, that the 32-year-old’s future may lie away from Stamford Bridge as he needs ‘technical defenders’.

    Cahill has been with Chelsea since arriving from Bolton in 2012, but has struggled for opportunities this season and having entered the final year of his contract has been linked with a January move away.

    “I respect him very much. He has won everything with this club. I have to respect him, then I have to do my job. For every match I have to choose, and for me it’s not easy to put him on the bench,” Sarri said before Chelsea’s Europa League game against Vidi.

    “Maybe he is the best of our defenders inside the box, but I have to think our centre-backs usually play about 100 or 110 balls in a match, so I need very technical defenders.

    “It’s not my decision. It is up to him and the club, because he is in his last year of contract so he has to decide for a new contract here or with another club.

    “You know for over-30s the club usually offers only one-year contracts. If he has an offer of three years [from elsewhere] he can decide on something else. It doesn’t depend on whether I am sentimental or not!”

  • Chelsea are suffering from blackouts, says Maurizio Sarri

    Chelsea are suffering from blackouts, says Maurizio Sarri

    Maurizio Sarri says Chelsea’s downturn in form can be attributed to “blackouts”, and admits he does not know how to beat a team coached by Pep Guardiola.

    The Blues take on Manchester City this weekend at Stamford Bridge, and know that a defeat would leave them 13 points behind the reigning champions and all but out of the title race.

    Chelsea go into the match having lost two of their last three Premier League matches and Sarri acknowledges his side are facing “big problems”.

    He said: “We have a problem to manage the match at the moment. In the last two matches we played well for 60 minutes, then in the first difficult moment we had a blackout.

     

     

     

  • Sarri defends Jorginho, says Kante can’t play central role

    Sarri defends Jorginho, says Kante can’t play central role

    Maurizio Sarri has ruled out the possibility of altering the roles of N’Golo Kante and Jorginho, despite criticism of his tactics after Chelsea’s defeat at Tottenham.

    The Blues were overrun by Spurs in their 3-1 loss at Wembley, leading to suggestions Sarri should move Kante to the deeper central position in his midfield three.

    Kante is regarded as one of the leading defensive midfielders, winning the World Cup and two Premier League titles in the last three seasons, but Sarri says he does not have the skillset to play the holding role in his system.

    The manager explained: “I want to play a central midfielder who is a very technical player, so for me, the central midfielder is Jorginho or (Cesc) Fabregas. I don’t want Kante in this position.

    “Kante, in the last match, wanted to solve the match after the first 15 minutes, but in the wrong way. He lost the position, he attacked too much.

    “This one is not one of the best characteristics of Kante, but it was only in reaction to the difficulties.

    “Maybe it’s only a question of time, but Kante has to stay near to Jorginho, especially when the ball is on the other side. When the ball is on the left he has to stay very close to Jorginho.”

     

     

     

  • EPL: Chelsea can’t catch Manchester City – Sarri

    EPL: Chelsea can’t catch Manchester City – Sarri

    Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri says it is impossible for his team to catch Manchester City in the Premier League this season, despite their unbeaten start.

    The Italian only defeat since taking charge at Stamford Bridge was in his first game, which came against City at Wembley in the Community Shield.

    Since then, Chelsea have gone 18 matches unbeaten in all competitions, leaving them just four points behind champions City in the Premier League.

    However, asked if he thought they could catch Pep Guardiola’s side, Sarri said: “No. For me they are stronger than us.

    “We have to work very hard just to try to recover the gap, but at the moment the gap is still there.

    “We have to do it. We can recover, but I don’t think in the first season we will be able to recover 30 points (distance Chelsea finished behind City last season).

    “In the Premier League, there is a team above the others. This team is Manchester City.

    “Then there is a very good team – Liverpool. For sure Liverpool will be in the first four positions.

    “Then there is four or five teams who will have to fight for the Champions League positions. Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, (Manchester) United.”

    Chelsea take on one of the sides Sarri feels will be scrapping for a top four place this season when they travel to Wembley to face Spurs on Saturday.

    Mauricio Pochettino’s side currently lie one place and one point below Sarri’s, but the 59-year-old has plenty of praise for the job his opposite number has done in north London.

    “He (Pochettino) has done a very good job,” said Sarri. “They play very good football. They are very dangerous in the offensive phase, in the short counter-attacks.

    “They are a technical team and in the match they run a lot. From the physical point of view, they are a very strong team.

    “They are competitive. They will fight for a Champions League position, for sure. It is a very difficult match.”

  • Chelsea must fix problem after draw with Everton – Sarri

    Chelsea must fix problem after draw with Everton – Sarri

    Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri says his side need to “sort out the problem” of how they “approach” games after they were held to a scrappy goalless draw by Everton.

    Sarri’s Blues had the better chances at Stamford Bridge but missed the opportunity to briefly return to the top of the Premier League.

    “I think we have to sort out the problem of the approach of the match,” said Sarri. “Because in the last two or three matches we haven’t been approaching the games right.

    “At the beginning we moved the ball too slowly, so it is easy for the opposition to defend and impossible for us to be dangerous.”

    However, the result means Chelsea have now stayed unbeaten in their opening 12 top-flight games for only the second time in their history.

    It also secured a small piece of history for Sarri himself, who has become the first Premier League manager to avoid defeat in their first dozen games.

  • Chelsea improving but City, Liverpool remain teams to beat, Sarri insists

    Chelsea improving but City, Liverpool remain teams to beat, Sarri insists

    Manchester City and Liverpool remain the teams to beat but Chelsea are closing the gap, the London side’s manager Maurizio Sarri says.

    His side extended their unbeaten start to the season to 11 games with a 3-1 win against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

    While the Italian insists his side still have some way to go, Chelsea’s improvement under the tactician this season has been nothing short of startling.

    The Blues laboured to fifth-place and finished 30 points behind champions Manchester City last season, playing underwhelming football throughout.

    It was a campaign that was overshadowed by reports of rift between Chelsea players and former manager Antonio Conte.

    But since arriving from Napoli in July, Sarri has lifted the mood at Stamford Bridge and transformed the Chelsea side into one of the most potent attacking sides in Europe.

    After almost one third of the season, they trail leaders Manchester City by only two points.

    Along with Manchester City and third-placed Liverpool, Chelsea remain unbeaten after 11 games with Sarri equalling the longest unbeaten start by a new Premier League manager.

    It was set by Nottingham Forest’s Frank Clark in 1994.

    “Manchester City and Liverpool are at the moment a step ahead of us,” Sarri told Sky Sports even though Chelsea are ahead of Juergen Klopp’s side on goal difference.

    “When I arrived the gap from last season was 30 points with Manchester City. It is difficult to think you can recover this gap in one season, or in six months. We need to improve more because we are doing well.”

    Such has been Chelsea’s form this season, they were expected to make light work of a Crystal Palace side who had won just twice in their opening 10 fixtures.

    However, midway through the second half a spirited Palace side were holding the Blues.

    But a brace of goals from the improving Alvaro Morata and an impressive cameo from returning talisman Eden Hazard saw them canter home.

    “We were a little bit in trouble. So, we needed some quality and personality,” Sarri continued.

    “We were lucky because we had Eden on the bench. He was able to immediately change the match.

    “I am really very happy for Alvaro. He improved in the last month in confidence and personality. He improved also from a tactical and technical point of view. He plays with more continuity from the team.

    “He has great potential physically and technically. He can improve more. Potentially he can be (a top striker at a top club).”

    Reuters/NAN

  • Hazard to return against Crystal Palace – Sarri

    Hazard to return against Crystal Palace – Sarri

    Chelsea forward Eden Hazard will return against Crystal Palace in the English Premier League on Sunday but is unlikely to play the full match, manager Maurizio Sarri said on Friday.

    Hazard, the league’s joint-top goalscorer this season with seven goals, has missed the last three matches with a back injury.

    “Yesterday (Thursday), he had a large part of the training with the team,” Sarri told reporters at a news conference on Friday at Stamford Bridge.

    “But maybe he will not be ready to play for 90 minutes at the moment, because it was his first training for the two weeks.

    “Probably he will be able to play for 40 to 45 minutes. So, for us, it is important.”

    When pressed on whether Hazard will start the match, Sarri added: “I don’t know, I want to speak with him first.”

    Sarri is unbeaten in his first 10 league matches as Chelsea manager and can now match the record held by Frank Clark.

    He had taken charge of 11 without defeat with Nottingham Forest at the start of the 1994/1995 campaign.

    But the Italian is not getting carried away with the team’s positive run of results.

    “I think here I was lucky because my players were able to win without a high level of tactical level,” the Italian coach added.

    “I don’t want to think about the record, only to think about the match and to gain points.

    “The record is only a consequence of the match. I have to send the message to my players that the match is the only thing that is important.”

    Reuters/NAN

  • Chelsea boss Sarri vows to quit smoking at Stamford Bridge

    Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has promised to give up smoking while he is in charge at Stamford Bridge.

    The chain-smoking Chelsea boss admits he finds it difficult not to reach for a cigarette especially during a “horrible 15 minutes” against Arsenal.

    But Sarri, who has been pictured on the touchline holding a cigarette butt and a packet of fags to ease the craving, has vowed to kick the habit.

    Sarri said: “I am going to stop. Just for one or two years, then I will start again.”

    That is probably not saying much about how long Sarri expects to remain at Chelsea, but the club is hardly renowned for sticking with managers.

    However, Sarri’s style – christened “Sarri ball” – was taking shape against Arsenal and the ex-Napoli boss says it is just a matter of time before his players get used to it.

    But did he need a cigarette when Arsenal came back from 2-0 down? Sarri said: “No, no, I just needed the first half to end! I needed half time.

    “I can speak about the other 75, I think that’s better. Because I remember the good things instead of the worst.

    “In quality, we are going very well. In quantity, we have to improve. I think that’s normal. We start to work altogether two weeks ago so now my target is to play 90 minutes like the first 25.

    “We did very well for 75 minutes of the 90. Inside there were 15 horrible minutes. We lost distances, we were not able to press, we were not able to defend. We were really in trouble.

    “So I think in the second half we did really well in the mental point of view because it was very hard to answer to the last part of the first half.”

  • Chelsea may need three months to reach potential – Sarri

    Chelsea may need three months to reach potential – Sarri

    New boss Maurizio Sarri has warned it could take three months before Chelsea are able to perform to their potential.

    The Italian believes his inability to work with some of his players following their involvement at this summer’s World Cup has hampered him.

    “I am very happy I can work with all my players for the first time tomorrow [Wednesday],” said Sarri after the Blues’ penalty shootout win over Lyon.

    “Potentially we can become, in two or three months, a very good team.”

    Chelsea are away at Huddersfield in their opening Premier League game on Saturday.

    When asked if the game had come too early, Sarri – who succeeded Antonio Conte as Blues boss this summer – replied: “Yes I think so, especially for all of them.”

    Sarri started with a largely second-string side for Tuesday’s pre-season International Champions Cup game, although it did include some players who featured in the World Cup, including Brazil’s Willian, England’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Nigeria’s Victor Moses.

    Belgian Eden Hazard and France’s Olivier Giroud and N’Golo Kante – the three Chelsea squad members who played regularly for countries who reached the later stages in Russia – were second-half substitutes.

    It was Hazard who scored the winning penalty in the shoot-out after another substitute, 38-year-old keeper Rob Green, had saved Lyon’s fifth and final penalty, from Pape Cheikh Diop.

    It was somewhat apt that Green – who replaced Polish teenager Marcin Bulka late in the game – would be the hero in a week that has focused the spotlight on goalkeepers at Stamford Bridge.

    In the two days prior to the game, the unsettled Thibaut Courtois missed training, seemingly to try to force a move away from the club, and on Tuesday evening it emerged the club had agreed a world-record £71m fee with Athletic Bilbao for Kepa Arrizabalaga.

    Sarri revealed he did not know anything about the situations involving Courtois or Arrizabalaga, but added about the latter: “I saw him one year ago. My first impression was that he is a very good goalkeeper. Very young, but very, very good.”

    BBC

  • Chelsea only need one more player – Sarri

    Chelsea only need one more player – Sarri

    Maurizio Sarri believes Chelsea only need to add one more player before the transfer window closes.

    Chelsea have made big-money midfielder Jorginho and back-up goalkeeper Rob Green their only additions so far.

    But, as Sarri prepares for the Community Shield against Manchester City at Wembley on Sunday, Sarri said he does not feel his new club are short-handed.

    “I think we need something,” he said. “But only maybe one player.

    “I spoke with the club about the market but only one time, no more. I spoke about positions but no specifics – no names – so I don’t know.”

    Chelsea have changed their head coach with great regularity in recent years but Sarri does not want his stay at Stamford Bridge to be a short one.

    “It depends on the club, I want to stay here for many years,” he said.

    “I have to win and then it depends on the club but I want to stay here for a long time.”