Is this the real reason Maurizio Sarri attacked his players?

Maurizio Sarri came out and spoke to the press after the defeat to Arsenal at the weekend in his native Italian, so the force of his words was not diluted.

What the manager said was stark in its clarity, and surprising in its directness.

He blamed the players, and called them “difficult to motivate.”

It’s pretty rare and pretty shocking to see a manager call out their players for a bad attitude, but that’s exactly what the former Napoli boss did. There’s been a lot of speculation about why he would make such a risky move, which may well have alienated the whole dressing room in one go.

Most have gone down the line of thinking that Sarri thinks he will be sacked within a year, so may as well put his cards on the table. That makes some sense.

But there’s another alternative – maybe he’s been told from people upstairs that it’s his job to clear out this dressing room, and that he will be given time and backing to do it.

It’s a long shot, but it’s certainly possible, and would explain why he’s rolled the dice like this.

Chelsea News