• Sarri made a fascinating dig at former Chelsea winger Eden Hazard, who has since joined Real Madrid.
• Sarri also addressed the changes in style between Napoli and Chelsea, claiming the players at his disposal in London possessed different talents.
Image: /REUTERS
Maurizio Sarri fired a parting shot at Eden Hazard and praised Cristiano Ronaldo during his unveiling as the new Juventus manager.
He faced the media and addressed supporters for the first time yesterday morning in a press conference.
The 60-year-old, kitted out in a sharp club suit, endeared himself to fans in Turin but risked further ire of the Chelsea faithful.
Sarri made a fascinating dig at former Chelsea winger Eden Hazard, who has since 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.
And he went on to add that none of the Chelsea players are of the quality of Cristiano Ronaldo, who will represent a step up in class.
“I coached some very strong players, but training him will be yet another step forward,” he added. “I’d like to help him break some new records.”
Sarri, who later strolled around Allianz Stadium, initially fielded questions from a packed out press conference and admitted to having his head turned as soon as the Italian giants came calling, with one factor being the chance to live closer to his elderly parents.
“The feeling when Juve called me? Strong,” he said. “I’ve never seen a club so determined to get a coach before. 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.”
Sarri also addressed the changes in style between Napoli and Chelsea, claiming the players at his disposal in London possessed different talents.
“What changes are the characteristics of the players,” he said. Napoli had team players, who were totally at the disposal of the team and moved the ball at a decisively quicker pace.
“Chelsea are made up of probably technically superior players, but with different individual characteristics. They have wingers who want the ball at their feet and like to go one-on-one. It leads to a less fluid style of football because Napoli had 11 who could play one-touch football, Chelsea had seven or eight who could do that and the others were individuals who could make the difference going by themselves.”
“We were fairly unbeatable in the last two-three months. You’d be insane to think you could change the characteristics of the players at your disposal. I’d be in the amateur leagues at that point.”