STROPPY SARRI STORMS OUT OF TRAINING
He talks of bonding but soon overheats
IN a dimly lit auditorium inside Baku’s Olympic Stadium, Maurizio Sarri spent the final moments of his press conference speaking of a new-found bond with his players.
‘At the beginning of the season, it was very difficult to understand my players,’ admitted Sarri. ‘To understand the mentality. But after a very difficult month in January they started to change, I think. Or probably I changed.
‘But in this moment, I love them because I have 20, 22 wonderful men. So now I’m really very happy with them. And, of course, I have to consider it for the future. And I have to consider that I love English football.’
The context to this reflection was a question by an Italian journalist, who invited Sarri to deliberate over links to Juventus. The Italian champions have reportedly sounded out Sarri and want him to replace Massimiliano Allegri. And here was Sarri, after a season dominated by friction, suggesting that his affection for the squad could see him spurn Juventus.
Little more than an hour later, and such words rang hollow. There were pantomime scenes of Gonzalo Higuain and David Luiz squabbling, followed by Sarri’s dumping of a baseball cap to the turf. The club claimed Sarri was angry over the media being allowed to watch training, but either way, it once more highlighted his volatile nature.
This Europa League run has not always been easy for Sarri. His most vulnerable moment came in Malmo, as club chairman Bruce Buck sat in on his pre-match press conference. On the night of the Europa League knockout fixture, Buck went pitchside for a sharper view of the warm-up.
Amid dismal form and dressing room disconnect, few backed Sarri to see out the season. Indeed, had his side lost the Carabao Cup final more comprehensively to Manchester City, he surely would have been axed. Several senior players believed his days were numbered.
Now, following a third-placed Premier League finish and a possible Europa League triumph, Sarri should reflect with pride. Certainly, he should not be the manager feeling the strain at this final — Unai Emery is the man who needs a win to secure Champions League football. But Sarri, who has felt under-appreciated at times both by the boardroom and on the terraces, is evidently tempted by Juventus.
It is worth remembering the lengths Chelsea went to in order to capture him last summer. The club’s due diligence exposed a worrying history of homophobic and sexist remarks. Chelsea paid sizeable compensation to Napoli, despite the Italian club only releasing him in July.
It may be that Sarri owes the club a little loyalty but this is a smart man with a background in the cut-throat world of banking. He knows that Chelsea can be a brutal environment for managers. He knows, too, the perils presented by a potential transfer ban and the impending exit of Eden Hazard, who will play his final game in a Chelsea shirt tonight.
Sarri must win a trophy of significance for the first time. He must also address his team’s dismal record against topsix Premier League teams away from Stamford Bridge. They lost at Liverpool, City, Arsenal and Tottenham and drew at Manchester United. City saw off Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final. In those six fixtures, Chelsea conceded 14 goals and scored two. With each reverse, the manager’s authority seeped away. There were lengthy individual meetings after the Tottenham reverse. After the 4-0 loss at Bournemouth, a lock-in lasted 50 minutes and Sarri begged his players for tips on what he could do to improve. He became so exasperated by his side’s slow starts to the second half that he quipped in one press conference that he should stop giving half-time team talks. Even Cesar Azpilicueta (left), the most loyal of lieutenants, has exchanged dressing- room barbs with the Italian in high-pressure moments. His behaviour has angered club staff — particularly, criticising a post- season trip to the United States to raise funds for antiSemitism. His idiosyncrasies are strange, such as the moment this handsomely paid manager refused to step on the pitch ahead of extra time against Eintracht Frankfurt due to his superstition about entering the field of play.
Yet Sarri has altered how he speaks to players. The players, for their part, also buckled down.
Only last night, Luiz said: ‘You can lose some ways but, to win, you have to sacrifice yourself, give more, do everything for this club. That’s what we did. Many players understood and changed the situation. Only intelligent people can adapt. If you’re not intelligent, you’re never going to change.’
It is, however, an uneasy truce. The Juventus ticket still offers a way out for both parties, while Frank Lampard could nurture Chelsea’s young players in the event of a transfer ban.
Chelsea can be an exhausting club to manage. Martin Keown has suggested the stress could take Sarri to ‘an early grave’.
This is a club perennially at war — whether it be against star striker Diego Costa, physio Eva Carneiro or former manager Antonio Conte.
The highly- charged environment, they believe, secures success and it may be vindicated once more in Baku. Whether Sarri is cut out for the angst in the long-term remains to be seen.