Sports
Maurizio Sarri warns Chelsea can expect MONTHS of ‘problems with results’ as players get used to his tactics
Chelsea are in for “problems” in the early months of the Maurizio Sarri era, according to… Maurizio Sarri.
The Blues’ new manager has only been in office since early July because of the drawn-out way predecessor Antonio Conte left the club, but must take his team to Huddersfield on Saturday for their first game of the Premier League season.
Sarri reckons it could take another eight weeks for the players to get properly used to the new ideas and tactics he has had to force-feed them with over a pre-season also affected by the World Cup not ending until July 15.
Asked to clarify what form these “problems” might take, the 59-year-old former Napoli coach answered: “The results.
“The performances in the first part of the season will not be in line with the potential of the squad.”
They are brave words for a new coach of Chelsea, who has seen two of his predecessors, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Andre Villas-Boas, sacked after eight and nine months respectively by Abramovich, an owner not known for his patience.
But Sarri pointed to his late appointment and a chaotic pre-season as legitimate reasons why he should be granted time to get things right at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian said: “We are not at the top of our potential. I hope to be at the top of the potential of the squad in one or two months, but I don’t know.
“I hope that the second part of the season will be very good with a lot of points. In the first part I expect some problems on the results. Maybe the performances in the first part of the season will not be in line with the potential of the squad.
“The board know this.
“Next year, I will try and change pre-season completely — if I can. I arrived in the middle of July, so the problem was there. I had to accept it completely, but for the future, it would be better to change.”
Sarri is set to give new £71.6million world-record goalkeeping signing Kepa his debut at the John Smith’s Stadium. But his other new capture this week, on-loan Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic, is likely to have to wait.
The Italian’s style of quick-passing, high-pressure football became known as “Sarri-ball” at Napoli, where he led the club to two second place finishes in Serie A in three years.
To get that though, Chelsea fans need to be patient.
Sari said: “You have to wait for a couple of months. I don’t know exactly what Sarri-ball is. It’s not my definition.
“At Napoli, we played at great speed, moving the ball forward and back with continuity. It was fun for the supporters, and useful for results. We got 91 points last season. On 23 of the last 25 Serie A seasons, that was enough to win the championship. So it was a bit unlucky.
“I don’t know if we can play the same way in England. It depends on the characteristics of the Premier League and my players. I have to adapt myself.”
Scoring goals was a problem for Conte’s team last year – they managed only 62, the fewest among the Big Six – and they netted only three times in five warm-up games this summer.
Sarri warned his players: “The offensive phase may be a problem.
“We have to play at another speed. If we are able to do that, scoring will not be a problem. But at this speed, it may be.”
The Chairman of Agbele Sporting, Hon. Ponmile Omidiji, has rejoiced with and extended warm felicitations to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Remo Stars Football Club, Hon. Kunle Soname, on the occasion of his birthday.
This was contained in a statement personally signed by Omidiji and made available to journalists in Ibadan on Sunday.
The statement reads: “It is my greatest pleasure to felicitate with you, the man of the masses and a philanthropist par excellence, on your day of birth.
“You are a morale booster and a great motivator to this generation. You always utilise any position you occupy for the benefit of others. Indubitably, you are a good man and worthy of emulation,” he added.
Omidiji also seized the opportunity to commend Hon. Soname’s contributions and tireless efforts towards the development of football in Nigeria and beyond, noting that such commitment is truly appreciated.
He offered heartfelt prayers for the celebrant, praying that Almighty God would continue to bless and protect him, that God’s grace would abound in his life, and that all his concerns would be firmly in God’s hands. He further wished that the world would always be kind to him.
Christian Chukwu, former captain and head coach of Nigeria’s national football team, the Super Eagles, has died at the age of 74.
The football icon passed away in the early hours of Saturday, though the exact circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear at the time of reporting.
The news of his demise was confirmed by his longtime friend and teammate, Chief Olusegun Odegbami, who spoke to Channels Television. Odegbami, who played alongside Chukwu in Nigeria’s triumphant 1980 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) squad, expressed deep sorrow over the loss.
“I just received the news that between 9:00 and 10:00 this morning, ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu, MFR, my bosom friend and teammate, one of the greatest football players in Nigeria’s history, has passed on,” said Odegbami.
“Babuje, Emmanuel Okala, MON, gave me the sad news a few minutes ago. May ‘Onyim’ find peace with Our Creator in Heaven and console his family,” he added.
Born on 4 January 1951 in Enugu, Chukwu carved a legendary career in Nigerian football, notably captaining Enugu Rangers to numerous domestic triumphs and leading them to continental glory in 1977 with victory in the now-defunct African Cup Winners’ Cup.
He made history in 1980 as the first Nigerian captain to lift the African Nations Cup trophy following a 3–0 win over Algeria in the final held in Lagos.
Chukwu went on to contribute to Nigeria’s football success off the pitch, serving as assistant to Dutch tactician Clemens Westerhof during the Super Eagles’ victorious 1994 AFCON campaign and their debut appearance at the FIFA World Cup the same year.
As head coach, Chukwu led the Super Eagles to a third-place finish at the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia. His tenure as national coach lasted from 2002 to 2005, ending during the qualification phase for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
Nicknamed “Chairman” for his commanding presence on and off the pitch, Chukwu also played a role in Nigeria’s youth football development, working as assistant coach during the 1985 FIFA U-16 World Cup, which Nigeria won in China.
In 2019, he battled prostate cancer, which affected his mobility. A public appeal for support was launched, and Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola stepped in to cover his overseas medical expenses, reportedly donating $50,000 for his treatment.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim believes Marcus Rashford was unable to see football “the way I see it” before the unwanted England striker was shipped out of Old Trafford.
The 27-year-old Rashford fell dramatically out of favour with the Portuguese boss and spent seven weeks on the sidelines until he was loaned to Premier League rivals Aston Villa during the transfer window.
“I couldn’t put Marcus to see the way you’re supposed to play football and to train the way I see it,” Amorim said on Thursday.
“And sometimes you have one player that is really good with one coach, and the same player with another coach is different.
“I just wish the best to Rashford and to (Aston Villa coach) Unai Emery, and they can connect because he’s a very good player.”
Amorim, whose team face Leicester in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday, said his focus now is on turning around a wretched season.
“Guys, in the summer… like we said before, we are fighting for our jobs until the summer,” he said.
“So, I am just focused on these games. Thankfully about Marcus he is in Birmingham now with Unai, so you can take these questions to another coach. We are just focused on our players at the moment.”
