BAKU (AFP) - Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri stormed off in anger after television cameras caught Gonzalo Higuain and David Luiz clashing at a training session in Baku ahead of Wednesday's (May 29) Europa League final.
Sarri was seen throwing away his Chelsea baseball cap, kicking it and then picking it up and angrily slamming it to the ground as he left the pitch at the Baku Olympic Stadium, where the final against Arsenal will be played.
The whole training session was open to media and so television cameras caught the incident, which does not bode well for Chelsea in the lead up to the match.
Sarri's reaction came not long after he had spoken of how he "loved" his players and English football, comments that suggested a departure from Stamford Bridge after just one season may not be inevitable.
The former Napoli boss has been strongly linked with a return to Italy to take the vacant coaching position at champions Juventus.
"I want to think only to the final. I have a contract with Chelsea for two years, so first of all I will speak with Chelsea, but now is not the moment," Sarri said of the Juventus speculation at a press conference in Baku on Tuesday.
The 60-year-old could replace the departing Massimiliano Allegri in Turin after a difficult season in London, and reports have said that Chelsea would not block his departure.
However, he insists his first season in charge after arriving from Napoli can be classified as a success regardless of what happens at the imposing Olympic Stadium here.
He did not lose a Premier League game until late November and despite his team's form tailing off after that, they still finished third, ahead of both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, to secure a return to the Champions League.
In addition, they only lost the League Cup final on penalties against Manchester City, and now have the chance to win the Europa League for the second time in seven seasons.
"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," he said.
"In this moment I love them because I have 22 wonderful men and wonderful players so I'm really happy with them and of course I have to consider it for the future and I have to consider that I love English football, I love the Premier League."
Sarri added that winning the Europa League - which would be his first major honour - would turn a "very good season" into a "wonderful" one.
"We have had ups and downs, but from the downs we have become stronger, we built a stronger group and that is one of the reasons why we are here tonight," said skipper Cesar Azpilicueta.
"I think we all deserve to do tomorrow a good game, to play with our heart, to give everything.
"We missed the Carabao (League) Cup final on penalties in an unlucky way so tomorrow we have a good opportunity to be happy all together with the manager. There is no time to talk about this speculation."
Jurgen Klopp hails Liverpool's fighting spirit as he sets points target for title. Jurgen Klopp hailed Liverpool's fighting spirit after they recovered from a goal down to beat Southampton and
Messi is unstoppable, Klopp hails Messi - Punch Newspapers
MADRID (Reuters) - Real Madrid must win Wednesday's La Liga game at relegation-battling Real Valladolid or their hope of snatching the title from Atletico Madrid or Barcelona will be over, coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Tuesday. Real missed a chance to wrest the initiative from leaders Atletico and
Suarez and Messi on target as Barcelona beat Real Madrid
Publicly, Klopp would never assert that is team are "10 games from greatness". The Reds boss has always been keen to play down the increasing weight of expectation, blocking out the white noise of
Reds must rediscover passion: Klopp, Football News & Top
Saturday's lunchtime London derby from Tottenham Hotspur will be screened live in the UK by Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main event, and by the league's broadcast partners across the world, with kick-off at 12.30pm.
Goals - The Learning code in London, Derby, Nottingham
Lacazette double helps Arsenal beat Valencia 3-1. Soccer Football - Europa League Semi Final First Leg - Arsenal v Valencia - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - May 2, 2019 Arsenal's
Football: Lacazette double helps Arsenal beat Valencia 3-1
Young Lions stay in hunt for finals. Singapore's Ikhsan Fandi (in blue), seen here in an earlier match against Hong Kong, scored a superb solo goal within a minute of kick-off against North Korea
Latest SINGAPORE FOOTBALL | The Straits Times
Leaders Liverpool stumble, Chelsea collapse. January 31, 2019 Staff Reporter Sports 0. Soccer Football - Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg - Manchester City vs Liverpool - Etihad Stadium
Leaders Liverpool stumble, Chelsea collapse - b247sports.com
Football: London-born ex-Arsenal reserve Nico Yennaris makes
worldsportstale.com/soccer/football-london-born-ex-arsenal-reserve-nico-yennaris-makes-china-debut-in-2-0-win-over-philippines/
06/07/2019 Comments Off on Football: London-born ex-Arsenal reserve Nico Yennaris makes China debut in 2-0 win over Philippines GUANGZHOU (AFP) - Nico Yennaris became the first foreign-born footballer to represent China when the former Arsenal reserve started in a 2-0 home win over the Philippines on Friday (June 7).
Football: London-born ex-Arsenal reserve Nico Yennaris makes
Lionel Messi became the first man to score 400 La Liga goals as Barcelona eased to a 3-0 win at home to Eibar on Sunday which kept the Catalans five points clear at the top of the standings at the
FIFA 19 La Liga Team of the Season: Messi and - goal.com
Sure, there have been times when Camille Giardina questioned her decision to play women's college basketball at the Division II level rather than Division I. But not anymore. "My decision has
EU trio tries to quicken drive to more integrated capital
Klopp hails 'best night' of his life after ending final hex. AFP June 2, 2019, 12:31 AM UTC. Jurgen Klopp has broken his cup final hex after winning the Champions League
Jurgen Klopp hails 'best night' of his life after ending
Neymar hints at joining Real Madrid 2019-03-05. Neymar took up football at an early age and played street games and futsal - an indoor version of the game. He joined the Portuguesa Santista
Neymar hints at joining Real Madrid - World Soccer Talk
worldsoccertalk.com/2019/03/03/neymar-hints-at-joining-real-madrid/
Sao Paulo (AFP) - Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar on Sunday left the door open for a potential move to Spanish giants Real Madrid. The world's most expensive footballer is currently recovering from a foot injury which he suffered on January 23 and has been linked with a return to La Liga ever since joining PSG from Barcelona in 2017.
The Observer Premier League Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email More than 30 years have elapsed since Watford embarked on their one and only campaign in Uefa competition but maybe
Deeney and Deulofeu seal Watford win at West Ham
He added: "Although we're leading the championship it doesn't change our focus or approach, and there's still a long way to go with many points up for grabs. For sure, the Formula E title race is still wide open with any of the top 10 drivers in contention."
German GP: Fernando Alonso says title race is still wide open
Eden Hazard intends to remain at Chelsea this year but offered no assurances about his future beyond that. The Belgian playmaker hinted he may leave Stamford Bridge after the World Cup, yet while international colleague Thibaut Courtois has completed a switch to Real Madrid, Hazard's mooted move to the Spanish capital has not happened.
'I think it's goodbye': Hazard ready to leave Chelsea after
0 comments:
Post a Comment