Maurizio Sarri blames Eden Hazard for defensive problems at Chelsea

Italian champions Juventus unveiled their new head coach Maurizio Sarri on Thursday morning following last week’s announcement of a three-year contract with the former Chelsea boss. The Blues also agreed to a compensation package in excess of £5m. 

Sarri was not well-received by many sections of Chelsea fans as they criticized his style of play throughout last season. However, the 60-year old manager did have a promising year in-charge at Stamford Bridge leading Chelsea to a Europa League title, a third-place Premier League finish and also a Carabao Cup final. 

The former Napoli boss, after touring the Allianz Stadium, was presented to the media where he reviewed his time in England and expressed his feelings about the latest job in-hand. He interestingly claimed that the English media strengthened him with their constant “attacks”. 

“The world of the English media is well known to everybody, there are great newspapers and also some tabloids. This is something which certainly strengthens you a lot,” Maurizio Sarri said.

“What I was a little disappointed with was the fact that here in Italy, what the tabloids wrote was mainly reported compared to the articles of the other newspapers. But of course then all of the criticism and the attacks, the pressure that you have to undergo will somehow strengthen you”, he added.

Maurizio Sarri revealed that his time at Chelsea was a testing one and that he decided to move back to Italy during the second half of the season. “The Premier League was a great experience, but in the latter half [of the season], I felt professional and personal needs to return to Italy”, he said.

The manager also aimed a fascinating dig about departed Chelsea winger Eden Hazard who has joined Real Madrid. “We had to accommodate Hazard’s characteristics, as he could change the game, but also his presence caused issues in defending that we had to work on,” he admitted.

Maurizio Sarri was enthralled at the prospect of working with Cristiano Ronaldo and stated that “training him would be another step forward” in his managerial career. However, having coached Napoli before his brief stint in London, the Italian will need to warm up to the Juventus faithful.

“I arrive with skepticism just as I did with all my other clubs,” he said. “I understand that, but I know only one way to change that and that is to win and convince while entertaining and getting results.”