Pickford heroics leave Chelsea frustrated
LONDON: Maurizio Sarri admitted Chelsea paid the price for a sluggish start and a lack of killer instinct as Jordan Pickford’s heroics earned Everton a 0- 0 draw on Sunday.
Sarri’s side recovered from a poor first half performance and laid siege to the Everton goal after the break, but found Pickford unbeatable as the England keeper made a series of fine saves.
The stalemate at Stamford Bridge left Chelsea two points behind Liverpool , who beat Fulham earlier on Sunday, with Manchester City having a chance to pull clear of the Blues against Manchester United later in the day.
It was a frustrating afternoon for Chelsea, who extended their unbeaten start under Sarri to 18 games in all competitions but couldn’t make their territorial dominance count.
“I didn’t like the first 25 minutes. We moved the ball very slow, so it was impossible for us to be dangerous,” Sarri said.
“I’m not happy of course. I don’t know why we start slowly. It’s a good question. I don’t think it’s a physical problem.
“In the second half we played with more speed and intensity. So maybe it is a mental problem.
“We might have some difficulties to approach the match from a mental point of view. It’s difficult to answer.”
Frustrated by Chelsea’s failure to turn possession into goals, Sarri said: “Usually yes we are sharp enough, but not in the last three matches. As I said to my players, we created too few goal opportunities in relation to how much we played.
“In this moment maybe it is a little problem. Three matches is a very short time.
“I think we played very well for 65 minutes, but we can do better.”
Sarri is the first new manager to avoid defeat in his opening 12 Premier League games, giving him sole possession of a milestone he shared with Nottingham Forest’s Frank Clark going into this weekend. — AFP