Sarri’s public criticism last ditch attempt to motivate players: Mills

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Jan 21, 2019

Sarri's public criticism last ditch attempt to motivate players — Bildbyran

Danny Mills believes Sarri’s public criticism of players is a last ploy to get results improving.

“It’s a last resort to come out and criticise your players publicly,” said Mills. “You’ve tried in training, you’ve tried to sort things out, you’ve told them time and time again and they haven’t responded.”

“So as a last resort you go ‘okay, maybe if I say to the world they’re not putting a shift in, they may start thinking it’s their attitude or whatever it is, and it might just give them that little bit of extra impetus to go and perform’.”

“It’s not quite desperation stakes but it’s not far from it to try and get some sort of reaction. It can go one of two ways. Some players react incredibly well. (Didier) Drogba thrived on pressure, every time he was criticised that made him step up.”

“Jose Mourinho said when he was at Manchester United that some players asked not to be criticised because they couldn’t handle it in front of the group. So you’ve got be aware in this day and age of different mentalities from individual players.”

“Gone are the days when you can just blanket cover everybody and treat everybody the same. It doesn’t happen and maybe Sarri is trying to learn a little bit about his players, what makes them work and how he can get the best out of them.”

SEE MORE: Michael Ballack backs Hudson-Odoi to realise his true potential

Michael Ballack backs Hudson-Odoi to realise his true potential

By

Sayan Chatterjee

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Jan 21, 2019

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Ballack backs Hudson-Odoi to realise his true potential

German legend Michael Ballack has showered praise on 18-year-old Chelsea starlet Callum Hudson-Odoi, saying that he is an ‘outstanding’ talent.

Hudson-Odoi has been the subject of repeated bidding from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, with the German outfit reported to have matched Chelsea’s £40 million valuation with their fourth bid.

And Ballack, who has played for both Chelsea and Bayern over the course of his illustrious career, believes that Hudson-Odoi will realise his true potential in the days to come.

“We’re talking about a player who just came recently from the youth level. He’s trying to achieve the step to the professional level in a top club,” he said.

“This makes it a lot more difficult for a young player because the standard is very, very high.

“It’s hard to say whether the player is good enough for this demand or not. It’s a fact that he’s an outstanding talent.

“Chelsea have to evaluate whether they want to keep him or maybe send him on loan.

“I think that’s the philosophy of all top teams – to educate young, top players and to give them the possibility to play.

“It’s the most important thing during that young age, to play without losing the player.

“Bayern had their focus on Hudson-Odoi very early. We will see if the transfer is happening or not.”

The German, however, refused to pass on any words of advice for the youngster, saying that every player has his future in his own hands.

“I don’t have any advice for him. He has to see if he has a realistic chance at Chelsea in the first team or not,” he added.

“[Recently] he was often part of it and showed his qualities. Is it the right time to go to another top club like Bayern?

“Every player has to decide this on his own. There’s no special recipe.”

Eden Hazard rules out Real Madrid move in January

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Sayan Chatterjee

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Jan 21, 2019

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Eden Hazard rules out Real Madrid move in January — 190112 Fotboll, Premier League Soccer Football - Premier League - Chelsea v Newcastle United - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - January 12, 2019 Chelsea's Eden Hazard REUTERS/Eddie Keogh EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details. © Bildbyrn - COP 7 - SWEDEN ONLY

Hazard says he is not going to switch to Madrid midway through the season

If reports are to be believed, Eden Hazard has ruled out a mid-season move to Real Madrid as the Belgian has no intentions of disrupting Chelsea’s campaign.

Hazard looked set to head for the exit door this summer at the end of the World Cup but new manager Maurizio Sarri convinced him to stay.

However, the 28-year-old has only 18 months remaining on his current contract which runs till the end of 2020 and he has so far refused to put pen to paper on a new deal.

Chelsea are prepared to make him the highest paid player in their history by offering wages in excess of £300,000-a-week but Hazard is not ready to commit his long-term future at Stamford Bridge.

Now in his seventh season at the club, the Belgian has made it clear that he will wait until next summer to make a decision on his future, by which time he will only have 12 months remaining on his contract.

Hazard has openly discussed his desire to play for Real Madrid and the Belgian is of the opinion that a ‘dream move’ to the La Liga will help him compete with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe for individual honours.

The Belgian, however, has made it clear that he is fully focussed on his current campaign at Chelsea and he is currently not thinking about a move away from the club midway through the season.

It is understood that Madrid are willing to wait five or six months more as the Los Blancos would not want to endure any strained relationships with the Blues.

Gary Neville speaks out on player power at Chelsea

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Sayan Chatterjee

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Jan 21, 2019

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Gary Neville speaks out on player power at Chelsea

Gary Neville accused the Chelsea players of “turning it on and off like a tap” after Maurizio Sarri came down hard on the players in his post-match conference.

Sarri criticised his players after their surrender at the hands of Arsenal in the London derby on Saturday, questioning their mentality and attitude and claiming that they are very difficult to motivate.

Chelsea managers in previous years have found it tough to acclimatise to the dressing room atmosphere prevalent at Stamford Bridge and Neville elaborated on the amount of power that the Chelsea players have at their disposal.

He said on the Gary Neville Podcast: “Sarri knows he’s going to get sacked at some point in the next 18 months or two years, that’s inevitable at Chelsea. He may as well call it how he sees it in the first six months when he’s got a little bit of control.

“It’s just a dressing room which can turn it on and off like a tap, it’s been able to do that for years. Sarri has probably thought he’s an experienced guy, he’s been around the block, and thinks he doesn’t need to take it.

“I have to say normally I would always say it’s not right to call out your players. But we’re going to see more of it, there’s no doubt in the next five or 10 years. I think it’ll become the norm, because it’s us or them.

“When managers have an aspect of control in the early parts of their jobs, they’ll have to seize it and basically will realise they are a difficult bunch at Chelsea. In the last 10-15 years, they’ve had the power to remove managers.”

Jose Mourinho explains how Arsenal stopped Chelsea’s ‘Sarri Ball’

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Sayan Chatterjee

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Jan 21, 2019

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Jose Mourinho explains how Arsenal stopped Chelsea's 'Sarri Ball' — 181218 Fotboll, Champions League FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Champions League - Group Stage - Group H - Manchester United v Juventus - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - October 23, 2018 Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo © Bildbyrn - COP 7 - SWEDEN ONLY

Mourinho praises Arsenal after derby win over Chelsea

Jose Mourinho hailed Arsenal after their 2-0 win over Chelsea in the London derby on Saturday, saying that the Gunners did a fantastic job in hindering Chelsea’s build-up play.

Speaking on beIN Sports, he said: ‘I’m not saying Chelsea is an easy team to play against but I think they are an easy team to analyse, you know their principles, their fundamental situations.

‘You create great difficulties to Chelsea to build in the first phase and if you close a little bit more their left side with David Luiz and Marcos Alonso and you give the ball to the right side, it is quite difficult for them.’

Sarri has been criticized for playing N’Golo Kante and Eden Hazard out of position but Mourinho believes that Kante is versatile enough to play anywhere in midfield.

‘Kante is playing in a position where he is making more runs forward than staying in the build-up in the first phase and Arsenal managed to press them in their own pitch and create many difficulties,’ he said.

‘I think Kante can play everywhere, I think he has the qualities to be a box-to-box like Maurizio is trying with him and he’s scoring more goals than ever.

‘With Antonio Conte, he was playing in a more defensive position because they were only playing with two in there but now at this moment they are playing with three and Maurizio is doing the same with Jorginho as at Napoli.’

‘He likes him to drop in between the centre backs but today Ramsey is playing in that position to fundamentally to stop Jorginho playing.’

Jorginho’s below-par performances have evoked widespread criticism from the media, with the Chelsea fans booing him in the 2-1 victory over Newcastle a couple of weeks back.

Rio Ferdinand says Sarri has made a mistake by criticising his players publicly

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Sayan Chatterjee

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Jan 21, 2019

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Rio Ferdinand says Sarri has made a mistake by criticising his players publicly — 170919, Boxning, Presskonferens, Rio Ferdinand: Boxing - Rio Ferdinand Press Conference - Bethnal Green, London, Britain - September 19, 2017 Rio Ferdinand during the press conference Action Images via Reuters/Tom Jacobs © Bildbyrn - COP 7 - SWEDEN ONLY

Rio Ferdinand says Chelsea players can now get on the back of Maurizio Sarri

BT Sports pundit Rio Ferdinand revealed that Maurizio Sarri criticising his players publicly might come back to haunt him in the days to come.

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri was absolutely furious with his team’s efforts in their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal in the London derby.

First-half goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Laurent Koscielny meant that Arsenal closed the gap on 4th-placed Chelsea to just three points.

In his post-match conference, Sarri chose to speak in Italian to communicate his displeasure regarding the lacklustre performances of his players, with the Italian aiming a dig at the players’ mentality and attitude.

He said he “to send a message to my players and I want my message to be very clear,” before the 60-year-old attacked their attitude and personalities.

Sarri said: “I have to say I’m extremely angry, very angry indeed. This defeat was due to our mentality, more than anything else.

“This is something I can’t accept. We had a similar issue in the league game at Tottenham (in November).

Sarri had every reason to be concerned with his team’s lacklustre performances and Ferdinand also shared the same opinion but he believed that the Italian voiced his concerns in the wrong manner.

“I thought we’d overcome this issue. But it appears we still have this issue.

“This group of players are extremely difficult to motivate.”

“He [Sarri] looks depressed and I think he has got every right to be,” the pundit told BT Sport.

“That is a huge cause for concern. To say that your team are lacking motivation, especially in these big games. You should be bouncing out of bed and flying onto that pitch, raring to go.”

“The WhatsApp group will be going bananas,” he continued.

“‘Have you seen this? Get on this’ – there will be comments on it. And they will all abort the WhatsApp group after.”

“It seems to me that, as a group of players, they’re not particularly aggressive from a mental point of view,” he added.

“I’m very aware of the fact this is never going to be a team well known for its battling and fighting qualities,” he added.

“But what we need to become is a team capable of adapting, a team that can perhaps suffer for 10, 15 minutes during the game but then play our own football. Today we didn’t play our own football.”

He added: “It’s important my players have the attitude I’m asking them to have. If they don’t have that, then maybe they shouldn’t be playing at this level.”

Maurizio Sarri goes to war with Chelsea players

By

Sayan Chatterjee

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Jan 21, 2019

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Maurizio Sarri goes to war with Chelsea players — 190112 Fotboll, Premier League Soccer Football - Premier League - Chelsea v Newcastle United - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - January 12, 2019 Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri gestures Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details. © Bildbyrn - COP 7 - SWEDEN ONLY

Sarri goes to war over with Chelsea players, defends his criticism after derby loss

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has made it clear that he will continue to come down hard on his players in public after criticising them for their lacklustre performance against Arsenal.

Sarri accused his players of lacking fight and determination as Chelsea went down 2-0 to the Gunners at the Emirates, with the manager claiming that some of the players are very difficult to motivate.

And the Italian has defended his criticism of the players in wake of the derby defeat, saying that some of the players are sensible enough to understand his words.

“This is my character – I’m a straight talker. Sometimes when you speak that way it might cause some upset or conflict, but it doesn’t cause any lingering bitterness,” he said.

“I said the players are difficult to motivate, but there are players who are sensible, who will listen and won’t take it the wrong way.

“There will be some changes perhaps but no massive upheaval. I’m demanding in the sense that we need the right attitude to have the same or an even better level of determination than our opponents.”

But ex-Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand warned the players would react.

“The WhatsApp groups will be going bananas,” he said.

It didn’t end well for previous Chelsea managers Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, both of whom suffered strained relationships with the players after coming down hard on them in public.

Chelsea players trust Maurizio Sarri and his methods, says David Luiz

By

Sayan Chatterjee

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Jan 21, 2019

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Chelsea players trust Maurizio Sarri and his methods, says David Luiz — 190119 Fotboll, Premier League Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Chelsea - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - January 19, 2019 Chelsea's David Luiz during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Hannah Mckay EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details. © Bildbyrn - COP 7 - SWEDEN ONLY

David Luiz backs Maurizio Sarri after derby loss

David Luiz confirmed that all the players still have full trust in Maurizio Sarri’s philosophy and reiterated that everyone is in support of the manager after the 2-0 defeat against Arsenal.

Sarri was reportedly very angry and disappointed with his players, choosing to do the post-match conference in Italian to communicate his displeasure regarding the team’s lacklustre display.

The Italian blasted the players for their lack of determination, claiming that the current bunch of players are very difficult to motivate.

Luiz said the manager “was not happy” after the match “but nobody was happy, so it was normal.”

And regarding the way Chelsea have been playing, he said: “It is our style, it is our philosophy. I think if you asked at the beginning of the season, ‘can Chelsea keep the ball?’ – you would have said no.

“And now we are able to do that, like the best teams in the world, but then we have (to) improve our last 25 metres.”

“It is part of the process, when you try to do something and this is inside your mind, if you believe in it you can arrive there.

“Because of the results, if you start to change and change, you don’t go anywhere. So this is our philosophy, I believe in it, I trust in it, so I just know we have to improve, like every team in the world.

Luiz, who has been a regular starter under Sarri after being frozen out of the first-team by Antonio Conte last season, feels that the Italian has done a fantastic job since taking charge this summer.

“What Sarri (who took charge last summer) has done until now is unbelievable, amazing, because normally (for) a team to understand this philosophy needs one or two years, like Manchester City and Liverpool, who are playing very well with the ball now.

“What he has done has been amazing, so we have to try to improve the details now. Everybody is trusting his job and everybody is with him.”

Shearer outlines why Chelsea need Higuain

By

Diptanil Roy

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Jan 21, 2019

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Shearer outlines why Chelsea need Higuain — Bildbyran

Alan Shearer in his column has outlined the need for Gonzalo Higuain at Chelsea as he believes Eden Hazard upfront is not the right solution for Chelsea.

“While you have to look at the players, the Chelsea boss has to look at himself as well,” Shearer wrote in his column for The Sun. “The loss also summed up why Sarri’s side are the lowest scorers in the Premier League’s top six, with 40 goals in 23 games.

“They are crying out for a top striker and must hope that Gonzalo Higuain can make the difference. Because there is no way that centre-forward is Eden Hazard’s best position — and you can tell he does not enjoy playing there.”

“The Belgian might offer you glimpses of brilliance there every now and again but you will not get the best out of him using him in that role. Hazard likes to have free rein, whether that’s coming in from the left or behind the front man.”

“His greatest attribute is running and attacking defenders and he is not always going to be in the best position to do that as a centre-forward. Hazard is not a guy who is going to hold the ball up for you and bring people into the game. You can’t just knock it up to him and hope he is going to do something.”

Marcos Alonso blasts Chelsea errors after derby loss

By

Sayan Chatterjee

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Jan 21, 2019

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Marcos Alonso blasts Chelsea errors after derby loss. — 190119 Fotboll, Premier League Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Chelsea - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - January 19, 2019 Chelsea's Marcos Alonso spits water during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Hannah Mckay EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details. © Bildbyrn - COP 7 - SWEDEN ONLY

Marcos Alonso says Chelsea have only themselves to blame for derby defeat

Chelsea’s left-back Marcos Alonso has come down hard on his teammates in wake of the 2-0 defeat against Arsenal on Saturday, saying that the Blues have only themselves to blame for the lacklustre performance.

Chelsea failed to get a grip on the game as first-half goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Laurent Koscielny completed an act of sweet revenge for the Gunners, having lost 3-2 away from home in the reverse fixture earlier in the season.

And Alonso, who was partly to blame for the first goal, called upon his teammates to take a lesson from the defeat.

“We made silly mistakes,” Alonso said after the game.

“We provoked them to gain confidence and come to press us because we were making mistakes. In the second half we tried but it was too late and we couldn’t score.

“When you lose, you learn. We have to analyse the game and improve quickly because there is no time to think. We have to perform again in four days.”

Chelsea had a golden opportunity on their hands to go nine points clear of Arsenal but the Blues are now only three points ahead of the Gunners and face serious competition for the final Champions League spot.

“It was a good opportunity,” Alonso admitted.

“We wasted it and now we have to work even harder to stay in a Champions League position and win games. It has to motivate us.”