Maurizio Sarri claims he had three players at Chelsea who were just ‘amazing’
Taking over from Antonio Conte in 2018/19, Maurizio Sarri’s spell at Chelsea was short-lived, but he was there long enough for three Blues to leave a lasting impression.
Sarri took the reins at Chelsea for just one season, during which time he won the Europa League unbeaten and had that famous squabble with Kepa Arrizabalaga in a Carabao Cup final loss to Man City.
He left voluntarily at the end of his first season, citing family reasons for the decision.
21 clubs have appointed Sarri as manager, so he has plenty of former players to choose from. Three Chelsea midfielders rank among the very best he has coached.
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Maurizio Sarri’s standout Chelsea players
The 2019 Chelsea side Sarri oversaw was decent, but not stacked with talent.
Eden Hazard and Olivier Giroud led the line, but it was the men in the middle of the park who stuck with the Italian.
In a recent interview with the Serie A YouTube channel, Sarri named N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, and Mateo Kovacic when discussing his most important players.
He said: “Higuain that I had at Napoli was a key player, Mertens that I had at Napoli was a key player. I had some amazing midfielders like the ones at Chelsea, Kanté, Kovacic, Jorginho.
“I had amazing defenders, Koulibaly, a player in my opinion that was underrated at that time, was Albiol, so I was lucky enough to coach many strong players.”
A Naples native, Sarri favoured his Napoli stars, but he had to acknowledge the engine room at Chelsea.
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The year of Sarri-ball was a fun time at Chelsea.
2018/19 was the season when Liverpool came second, with 97 points — a title challenge was never realistic for where Chelsea were at that time.
But the Blues were the best of the rest finishing third, with a European trophy in hand. They were also a spot-kick away from a League Cup.
Sarri wasn’t dismissed either, unlike so many Abramovich hires before him. He departed for Juventus, a very attractive proposition at that time, on a run of eight seasons as champions of Italy.
The next few years at Chelsea were turbulent to say the least, but a Champions League under Thomas Tuchel in 2021 certainly sewed up that wound.
Still, Sarri’s one-season fling with Chelsea was quietly excellent.
from Chelsea FC Latest News & Club Updates | The Chelsea Chronicle https://ift.tt/8oW1iXE
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