Sarri admits Chelsea regret and talks Juventus struggles | OneFootball

Maurizio Sarri revealed some regrets from his season with Chelsea and reflected on his difficult year in charge at Juventus.

The Italian tactician spent the 2018-19 campaign with the Blues, guiding them to the Europa League title, before returning to Serie A to take over the Bianconeri, where he won a Scudetto before being dismissed.

After a break, Sarri had a fairly successful three-year spell with Lazio, which he brought to an abrupt end back in March of this year, unexpectedly resigning. He has been linked with a long list of jobs since, including Milan, Spartak Moscow, Fiorentina and Torino.

Sarri on regrets and struggles

Speaking to SportItalia, Sarri first looked back at his year with Juventus and where things went wrong.

“The quote ‘Juve cannot be coached’, I never said that. This quote was attributed to me, it must be placed in the context of the club that had won for eight consecutive years.

“The Scudetto was taken for granted, the club spread the idea that we had to win the Champions League. In reality in Europe, we were the 12th in turnover, there were eleven teams that spent more.

“It seemed a little too optimistic to me. Then the fact that you want to win anyway is undeniable, the fact that you flaunt the obligation outside is less understandable.”

He weighed in on Italy’s chances at the upcoming European Championship.

“We have a good level team, from here to winning a tournament, not a league, there are 2000 factors. I often laugh when journalists reveal new tactical trends in this type of tournament. It’s absolute bullsh*t.

“How are we talking about trends in a 20-day tournament? The physical and mental aspect counts, there is the risk of mental tiredness of our players. Here football is heavier, it’s not easy to get there with a clear head. Our team can be competitive.”

Finally, Sarri gave some advice to Roberto De Zerbi, revealing a key regret from his season with Chelsea.

“If I had to advise him on one thing, I’d tell him to stay in the Premier League. I made that mistake, if I went back, I wouldn’t leave.

“I would’ve stayed at Chelsea, aware that I probably wouldn’t have finished the following year. If he calls me, I’ll tell him to stay there.”