Sarri: I only watched Callum for 20 minutes
MAURIZIO SARRI has revealed he watched just 20 minutes of Callum Hudson-Odoi’s dazzling full England debut on Monday. Chelsea star Hudson-Odoi, 18, starred in the 5-1 victory in Montenegro but is still awaiting his first Premier League start. Blues manager Sarri said: ‘I saw only 20 minutes because I had 14 players in the national teams — and I had no time to watch 20 matches.’ Sarri, who said playing in the European Championship qualifiers is a step down from the Premier League, added: ‘Callum didn’t start well in the first 20 minutes on the right. He did very well on the left.’
CHELSEA manager Maurizio Sarri has admitted he did not watch the majority of Callum Hudson-Odoi’s sparkling debut for England this week and insists he will not be pressured into handing the winger a regular starting place. Hudson-Odoi is yet to start a Premier League match for Chelsea but was parachuted into the England senior team for the 5-1 victory over Montenegro in the Euro 2020 qualifier on Monday evening. Sarri is under pressure from the club’s hierarchy and supporters to give more minutes to the 18-year-old, who is refusing to sign a new contract at the club with his current deal set to expire in the summer of 2020. Bayern Munich had a move rebuffed in January but Manchester United and Barcelona are now also interested. Sarri, however, revealed he missed much of his young player’s England debut. ‘I saw only 20 minutes,’ he said, ‘because I had 14 players in the national teams and I had no time to watch 20 matches. So I saw the English national team only for 20-25 minutes, and Callum didn’t start very well in the first 20 minutes on the right. He did very well on the left, immediately.’ Asked if Hudson-Odoi’s appearance made him feel awkward for not fielding the player more, Sarri replied: ‘No, because I have not to play against Montenegro. The qualification for the European Championships, the level is really very low. It’s not the Premier League level. ‘There are a lot of national teams with a very low level. Maybe it’s better to have the European Cup for the first level, and a European Cup for a second level. It’s incredible that a player who is very important for a club has to play in Malta and Cyprus, in Liechtenstein or Andorra. But Callum is ready to play against every opponent.’ Sarri still expects Hudson-Odoi to be at the club this summer. ‘I’m not able to say if he’s going to sign a new contract or not, but I think he will stay here with us in every case,’ he said. The Chelsea support have chanted Hudson-Odoi’s name repeatedly during matches in a bid to sway Sarri. ‘I’m not the coach of the fans,’ said the Italian. ‘We have to play eight matches in 28 days, so I am sure Callum will start in two or three matches. ‘Premier League, Europa League... for me, it’s the same. I’m confident in him. He has started a lot of matches. Probably not in the Premier League but that’s by chance. ‘It’s not a problem for me to put him in the starting XI in a Premier League match. But I can play with only two wingers. ‘In the squad we have Hazard, Willian, Pedro, so it’s not easy to start every match. Probably, in the near future, he will start in 75-80 per cent of matches. ‘He needs to improve more. He has to stay with his feet on the floor. He has to improve the left foot, improve the defensive phase, improve in movement without the ball. He is a very, very good player. But he has the possibility to become more. With Callum, we are on the right path.’
Cardiff v Chelsea, tomorrow 2.05pm, LIVE on Sky Sports Main Event