Sarri calls for consistency

– Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri (above) was relieved to get their first win after a 6-0 drubbing at Manchester City but said they cannot afford to concede goals against top Premier League sides like they did in Thursday’s 2-1 Europa League win at Malmo.

Chelsea had taken a 2-0 lead before the hour mark in the first leg but a quick Malmo counter-attack 10 minutes from time allowed the Swedish side to go into the return leg with a glimmer of hope.

“If we concede a goal like this to a team like Manchester City or United or Tottenham, then you risk conceding three goals in 10 minutes,” Sarri told reporters.

Sarri also demanded consistency from his squad that has had mixed results in 2019, as the sixth-placed side face a tough run of potentially season-defining fixtures in the coming two weeks.

The London side face Manchester United in the FA Cup on Monday, host Malmo in the second leg, then head to Wembley for the League Cup final against City before meeting Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League three days later. – Reuters

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