Five-starCeltsdishoutharsh cup lesson to Saints
Guardiola grateful for his players’ level of desire after Aguero’s latest treble returns champions to top spot
CHELSEA boss Maurizio Sarri said he feels he is “always at risk” of being sacked after watching his shell-shocked side succumb to their heaviest defeat in almost 28 years.
The pressure intensified on the Italian after Sergio Aguero (right) hit his 11th Premier League hat-trick. Raheem Sterling’s double and Ilkay Gundogan’s goal wrapped up an incredible 6-0 win for Manchester City.
A miserable day at the Etihad Stadium was Chelsea’s worst result since losing 7-0 to Nottingham
Forest in
April 1991 and comes less than two weeks after a shock 4-0 hammering at Bournemouth.
Sarri made an encouraging start to his tenure as Chelsea were unbeaten after their first 12 top-flight matches under him but the Blues have faded out of title contention and face a battle to finish in the top four.
He admitted concern at their recent displays and, when asked whether he fears for his future under notoriously impatient owner Roman Abramovich, he said: “I don’t know, you have to ask the club. I am worried about my team, I am worried about the performance but my job is always at risk so I am not worried about the club. You have to ask the club.
“I didn’t see my kind of football (against City). At the beginning it worked. So now we need only to understand the reasons why at the moment it isn’t working. We need to understand the reasons.” GLENAVON manager Gary Hamilton has launched a blistering attack on the scheduling of tonight’s rearranged Tennent’s Irish Cup clash with Dungannon Swifts.
Because of Uefa statutes which state that senior leagues cannot play on the same night as Champions
League fixtures, all four of the games that fell foul of the weather on February 2 are to be played this evening.
Hamilton (above) is angry that his Glenavon side and Dungannon were both in Danske Bank Premiership action on Saturday and, just over 48 hours later, will be vying for a place in the quarter-final of the blue riband knockout competition.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous and I don’t care what they say about it, I don’t know who makes the decision — whether it’s the IFA or NIFL — but tell me a team in England, Italy, Spain or Scotland that are asked to play two games in three days? It doesn’t happen,” slammed Hamilton.
“How they can ask part-time players, who will have to go in to work on Monday, to play on Monday night is absolutely disgraceful.
“This is the top cup competition in this country and they are asking players to play after playing 90 minutes on Saturday.
“If I was the sponsor, I’d be pulling out of it, because you’re looking for quality games for people coming out to watch.
“Whoever played on Saturday, they will have been involved in relegation battles, teams vying for European places and it’s vital that they get these points.
“But they are then asking parttime players to go out and play and perform at that level on Monday night and put on entertainment for supporters.
“Anybody who doesn’t think it’s wrong needs their head looked at and it only happens in this country.”
PEP Guardiola hailed his Manchester City players after the champions continued their stunning response to defeat at Newcastle by thrashing Chelsea 6-0.
Sergio Aguero scored a hattrick — a record-equalling 11th in the Premier League — as City powered back to the top of the Premier League by demolishing Maurizio Sarri’s men at the Etihad Stadium.
The victory was City’s third in the space of eight days since a surprise defeat at St James’ Park, with Arsenal and Everton having also been brushed aside.
Guardiola (right), whose side lead Liverpool at the top on goal difference, said: “After three games in a week — tough games against Arsenal and at Goodison Park — playing the way we played with this intensity and patience to find spaces in the right moments, the players were outstanding.
“I just said to them thank you for what they have done.
“After Newcastle we spoke to each other and put ourselves in front of a mirror, and accepted the reality. After that we worked, moved forward.
“We are there, we are the leaders, but Liverpool have one more game (in hand).”
Asked if it was one of City’s best performances of his reign, Guardiola said: “Yes, we played good.
“The first four times we arrived we scored three goals. Sergio missed one but after he made an incredible goal. MAN CITY: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Laporte, Zinchenko, De Bruyne (Mahrez, 68 mins), Fernandinho (Silva, 75 mins), Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Aguero (Jesus, 65 mins), Sterling. Unused subs: Danilo,Sane,Otamendi,Muric.
CHELSEA: Arrizabalaga, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz,
“It was not easy because Chelsea demanded a lot and we defended deeper, like never before, because they have the quality to find spaces.
They created problems.
“Six
Sarri added: “It is not easy. At the beginning, we played better away than at home. Now we are playing better at home than away.
“Something is changing. At the moment I am not able to see the reason but I have to work for this because my target is to play my football, not to change another football because at the moment we are playing another football.”
Sarri did not shake the hand of his opposite number Pep Guardiola at full-time but insisted he was merely eager to return to the dressing room.
He added: “I didn’t see him at the moment but of course Alonso (Emerson Palmieri, 73 mins), Kante, Jorginho,
Barkley (Kovacic, 52 mins), Pedro (Loftus-Cheek, 65 mins), Higuain, Hazard. Unused subs: Caballero, Giroud, Willian, Christensen.
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)
Man of the match: Sergio Aguero Match rating: 8/10 goals against Chelsea is not easy and we are so pleased for this week. Now we can have two days off and prepare for Newport and the (Carabao Cup) final.”
Aguero’s hattrick equalled Alan Shearer’s com-
as usual I will go to say hello to him later as usual.”
Guardiola, too, played down any speculation of a rift as he said: “I spoke with (Chelsea assistant) Gianfranco Zola. (Sarri) didn’t see me. I have a good relationship with him so no problem.”
The Spaniard empathises with the scrutiny Sarri is under and believes the former Napoli coach needs time to implement his ideas.
Guardiola added: “People don’t understand how difficult the first year can be. Mine was difficult too. People expect with a new manager and buying players it comes immediately, but it needs time.” petition record of 11 and was also his 15th in City colours. In the process he also became City’s record league goalscorer with 160.
He should even have had more having missed a sitter in the early stages and hit the bar.
Raheem Sterling also scored twice, with Ilkay Gundogan netting City’s other goal.
Asked what he thought of Aguero’s miss, Guardiola said: “He said to me he saw Kepa coming quick to close the space and he wanted to be precise, close to the post. That way he missed.
“I told him not to do it again but, after, his reaction was a little bit better!”
Guardiola, who won three LaLiga titles and two Champions Leagues in charge of Barcelona, was asked how his current side compared to the one he had at the Nou Camp. He said: “We have won three titles since we have been together. In Barcelona we won much, much more.
“But in spite of the titles, the desire to do their best and respect for where they are is incredible. That is quite similar, but I don’t want to compare.”