"Did spectacularly well" - Paul Elliott delivers verdict on former Chelsea man

Former Chelsea player Paul Elliott has said that he thinks Maurizio Sarri did “spectacularly well” at Stamford Bridge last season.

What did he say?

The former Napoli boss joined the Blues last summer, and took the the south-west London outfit to third in the Premier League whilst also winning the Europa League in the process.

However, his spell at the club was marred by numerous fractures with both the players and the fans, and it was therefore no surprise to see him move to Juventus earlier this summer.

Elliott clearly appreciates what the 60-year-old did at Chelsea, and told football.london:

“If the real footballing people look at what he did at Chelsea, they’ll realise this man did spectacularly well in his first season at Chelsea given all the challenges he had, particularly the ones he had with the players.”

If Frank Lampard fails, would Chelsea fans welcome Jose Mourinho back for a third time? Find out in the video below…

About more than just results

If we take it purely from a footballing point of view, then it is hard to argue that Sarri didn’t succeed at Chelsea. After finishing fifth in 2017/18, he managed to bridge the gap between them and the top four and led the side to a European trophy. He also got the best out of Eden Hazard, who produced his most prolific Premier League season in terms of goals and assists.

Being a good manager and performing well is sometimes not just about results, though. The truth of the matter is that the Italian never seemed to connect with his players or the fans.

One of the most memorable images of his tenure is Kepa Arrizabalaga refusing to leave the pitch during the 2018/19 Carabao Cup final, despite his manager demanding he do so. Whilst the goalkeeper should have obeyed his boss, the latter did not handle the situation well and almost stormed down the tunnel.

Another incident before the Europa League final suggested that he was unable to control his emotions under pressure, storming out of a training session. Gary Cahill was particularly scathing of his style too, and criticised him publicly in an interview towards the end of the season. When the club captain does something like that, it says a lot about the situation.

He was far from popular with the fans, either. There were regular chants slamming his “Sarriball” philosophy, and he was criticised by supporters on a regular basis. To be able to truly succeed, a good relationship is needed with those you represent, but Sarri never managed to build that at Chelsea.

So, whilst the results could not be sniffed at, the relationship with the squad and the Stamford Bridge faithful was not good enough.

from FootballFanCast.com https://ift.tt/2NG9wsM