YOU WILL BE SARRI WHEN BOSS COMES GOOD, WARNS LUIZ
DAVID LUIZ has hit out at the media’s criticism of Maurizio Sarri in an impassioned defence of the Chelsea manager.
Sarri has been under pressure, with the Italian on the brink of the sack amid growing frustrations behind the scenes and in the stands following a string of poor results.
Three straight wins have quietened dissenters with Luiz captaining Chelsea to a convincing Europa League victory over Dynamo Kiev this week.
The defender, when asked whether outsiders were too quick to pounce on Chelsea, responded with a reminder that Sarri had been lauded earlier this season having gone a record-setting 12 games before tasting his first league defeat.
‘The media has to have some answers every single day,’ said Luiz. ‘So the beginning of the season was: “Oh, my God, Chelsea is learning very quickly his philosophy, the philosophy of the manager, it’s amazing”. Then after a few months, “Oh, Chelsea didn’t learn anything yet, Sarri-ball is not good enough and that’s it”. And tomorrow it’s going to be what the media wants to do.
‘For many years, the media was not happy because Chelsea were winning without playing very good football and now Chelsea is playing very good football and sometimes we don’t win so people are not happy.’
Since the Carabao Cup Final defeat to Manchester City where goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga refused to leave the field when substituted, Chelsea have racked up three straight victories in the space of 10 days.
A convincing league triumph over Tottenham was followed by another against Fulham before a comfortable win over Dynamo Kiev saw Chelsea tread one foot into the Europa League quarter-final.
Chelsea are also well in the hunt for a top-four finish ahead of their clash with Wolves today. Sarri’s side two points outside the Champions League places with a game in hand.
‘It’s a positive mood at the moment,’ added Luiz. ‘The results help a lot. We are improving and it’s never easy to come to England and change the style of a club, change the style of a team and the way we play.
‘We still believe in what we started at the beginning of the season. ‘It’s up to us to keep our mentality and up to us to keep our belief and to fight to the end.’