Maurizio Sarri has given a defiant response to the Chelsea supporters who were chanting “f*** Sarri-ball” and “we want Sarri out” in the Blues’ 2-1 victory at Cardiff, saying he was disappointed for his players and that he is staying at Stamford Bridge.
After Victor Camarasa’s 46th-minute opener, the west Londoners came from behind through Cesar Azpilicueta and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to take all three points at the Cardiff City Stadium yet it was a match that saw the Blues once again put in a slow and ponderous display.
From the first half, the visiting fans chanted “f*** Sarri-ball” and “we want Sarri out” and the jeers only went louder as the match progressed. While this is not the first time the ex-Napoli manager has been on the receiving end of boos from the club’s own supporters, saying he understood why they voiced their disapproval loudly, yet he felt the fans let the players down by choosing to taunt him rather than get in behind the team.
“I have been on the pitch for the last 45 years. I was really disappointed for my players because they were fighting,” said the Italian head coach. “Maybe it was better to wait until the end of the match. I can understand. Unfortunately I am getting used to this. I need to work in order to change their opinion.”
In order to do that, the 60-year-old believes he needs to put in a string of positive results for the west Londoners. Sarri went on to add that luck played a massive part in their win over Cardiff – their 84th-minute equaliser nodded in by Azpilicueta who was a good yard or two offside upon seeing replays – but that it only evens out throughout the season, recalling the time when a dominant performance at Everton still yielded a loss.
“I don’t know. I think we only need to win matches. If you win then the fans will be happy. We need to be better and you need to win matches like this. We lost in Everton and played some good football. Today we started badly but in the end we won, with a bit of luck. But at Everton there was unlucky moments,” continued Sarri.
After the turn of the year, calls for Sarri’s departure has started but after getting Chelsea back on track in the last few weeks, another abject performance against the Bluebirds by the west Londoners sees supporters only voice their wish to see the Italian leave yet Sarri remains steadfast in his belief that his long-term future lies at Stamford Bridge.
Quizzed on whether he would consider resigning due to the fans’ calls, Sarri answered: “No, no. I want to stay here. When I arrived here the team in the table were 30 points behind City, fifth and I want to stay here and improve the results. It wasn’t easy work. There is a difference between City, Liverpool and us. We are fighting and trying, we have to work very well.”
