EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL: Nerves show as Chelsea training bust-up sends Sarri storming off
BAKU: Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri appeared to storm out of training on the eve of Chelsea’s Europa League final clash with Arsenal.
Media recordings showed team-mates Gonzalo Higuain and David Luiz exchange words after a heavy challenge from the former, who is on loan from Juventus.
The Blues were running a full session at the Baku Olympic Stadium on Tuesday when the clash appeared to get under the skin of the Italian manager, who is said to be a target for Juventus.
About an hour into the session, Sarri marched towards the tunnel and twice threw his baseball cap into the ground.
He was reported to have been upset that part of the session was open to observers, as per UEFA rules.
On the injury front, French World Cup-winning midfielder N’Golo Kanté managed only half an hour of gentle running with a physio because of an injury suffered in training on Saturday.
Sarri has rated his involvement as “50-50”.
Sarri is pursuing the first trophy of his career and his future at Chelsea is uncertain even though they finished third in his first campaign in charge. He has been linked with Italian champions Juventus who need a replacement for Massimiliano Allegri.
He has said he will disuss the future with executive director Marina Granovskaia after the final.
Sarri said: “Now I want to think only about the final. I have a contract with Chelsea for two years [there is an option for a further year beyond 2020]. So, first of all, I will speak with Chelsea. But this is not the moment to discuss this. Now we have to think only about the final because our feeling is that we deserve to win.
“For me, at the beginning of the season, it was really very difficult to understand my players, to understand the mentality. But, after a very difficult month in January, in February they started to change. Or probably I changed, I don’t know.
“In this moment, I love them because I have 20-22 wonderful men, and wonderful players. So now I’m really very happy with them. I have to consider the future. And I have to consider that I love English football, I love the Premier League.”
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