Sarri: Jose the best for now
league because he is the kind of player who can make a huge difference.
“The results speak for themselves. Obviously they are not playing in the Champions League.
“That puts them just playing in the Premier League – and in the Premier League the results speak for themselves.
“Very good results, top of the league and, of course, lots of good players.”
Mourinho admits he would love to sign Hazard at United after the Belgium ace revealed he would like to play under the Portuguese coach again at some stage.
He said: “I would love to have him at Manchester United but I don’t think Chelsea will sell him, so it’s not a problem.
“Chelsea is led by intelligent and experienced people in football and they would never sell Eden to Manchester United.
“I think he is a nice kid. We had a good relationship. We were champions together.
“He was for the first time the best player in the league with me, so I think the feelings are good.”
MAURIZIO SARRI says Jose Mourinho is a better coach than him and insists he’s the Lucky One, not the Special One.
The two go head to head for the first time ever when Mourinho’s struggling Manchester United visit unbeaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge today.
But with Mourinho boasting 23 trophies in a glittering managerial career and Sarri yet to win one, the Italian admits he is just not in the same class.
Sarri said: “The results speak for him, I think. So, at the moment, he is better than me for sure. I hope to improve myself in the future, but at the moment I have to say he’s better than me.
“He has won everything everywhere, so I need to win if I want to compare myself to him. At the moment it’s not possible.
“You are talking about one of the best coaches in the world and I’m not at the moment one of the best. I think that I am lucky.
“It’s very difficult to start in a professional team and to finish in one of the most important clubs in the world. It’s very difficult. So you need to be lucky. No. The Special One is Mourinho.”
When Mourinho claimed the Champions League trophy with Inter Milan in 2010, Sarri was still knocking around in the Italian lower leagues and did not land a big Serie A job until 2015 with Napoli.
Pressure
Asked whether he ever thought back then he would one day face-off against the Portuguese, Sarri added: “Probably not. My target in that period was to be a professional coach.
“I didn’t think in that period that I was able to arrive in the Champions League. It was incredible at that moment to think that, so I think I am lucky.
“He is different. The character is different, but maybe the level of determination is the same.” Mourinho is under huge pressure on his return to Stamford Bridge, where defeat to his old club could spell curtains for him at Old Trafford, though Sarri believes he is far from finished as a manager.
The Blues boss, 59, said: “He will be able to win also in the future. Because he is really one of the best. “Maybe the best. The results are the best, so I think he will be able to win again.”
Sarri also once again insisted Eden Hazard, who has been named player of the month for September, does not need to join Real Madrid to achieve his ambitions.
He said: “He is a fantastic player. It’s important if he will remain with us.
“He can win everything, also the Ballon d’Or, here, without playing in Spain.
“If Chelsea win the Champions League and Belgium win the European Championships, he will be able to win everything.”
But Sarri laughed when asked about comments from Andreas Christensen’s father that his son might have to quit the club in January unless he gets more minutes. The Chelsea chief said: “I am not interested. The father? No. “David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger have played very well. “It’s not easy to change. Also, in our last six matches he has played in three.
“For his father maybe the Europa League is not important. For us it is.
“He has to improve. He is a technical defender so suitable for me in my way and in the future he will play very often.” The defender has not even made the bench for Chelsea’s last three Premier League games but did play twice in Europe and in the Carabao Cup. Mourinho, meanwhile, has asked for more time before responding to his FA charge of using foul and abusive language following United’s 3-2 win over Newcastle before the international break.
He is alleged to have sworn at TV cameras in his native Portuguese and had until 6pm last night to respond.
But United have asked for more time – and FA bosses have given a new deadline of 6pm on Wednesday.
It means that Mourinho will be on the touchline at Stamford Bridge.