Olivier Giroud has revealed the ongoing speculation regarding the future of Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea is hard to adapt to with the Frenchman comparing it in contrast with his time at Arsenal.
The lead-up to the Blues’ League Cup final against Manchester City is less than optimal as questions regarding Sarri’s position at Stamford Bridge continue to swirl. While the club’s board had given public backing for their beleaguered manager, many believe the ex-Napoli manager is still near the sack if he does not secure immediate results and French striker Giroud has conceded the precarious situation Sarri finds himself in is taking its toll on the squad as a whole.
Throughout his six seasons at Arsenal, Giroud only played under one manager in Arsene Wenger yet since moving from the Emirates to Stamford Bridge just over a year ago, he is already facing the prospect of playing under a third manager and the 32-year-old admits he finds the situation odd.
“Yes – as you said it’s a different arrangement, a different club. I played five-and-a-half years for Arsenal with the same coach,” said the World Cup-winning forward. “That’s part of life, part of the job. Sometimes you have to adapt yourself for this kind of event. We are professional, we are football players. We need always to step up, no matter what happens. We need to stick together.”
Matters for Sarri and the west Londoners in general may worsen on Sunday as they face the daunting prospect of winning the League Cup final against Manchester City, a side that demolished them 6-0 in a league match at the Etihad less than a fortnight ago.
While the World Cup-winning striker expects a difficult match against the Citizens, he believes they need to take the game to Guardiola’s charges and go for the victory and that such momentum would bode well for them going into another massive game on Wednesday wherein they take on Tottenham Hotspur.
“We expect a tough game at Wembley, but it’s a cup game, it’s a final, so we need to get through, start on the front foot,” added Giroud.
“We know their quality and we need momentum now. A win would be amazing for us, for the confidence. After that we have another big game against Tottenham on Wednesday. Game by game we need to come back and get some confidence back.”
