Chelsea players asked Sarri to make change against Spurs
Maurizio Sarri has revealed that Chelsea players asked him to make a tactical change at half-time against Tottenham which he agreed to.
Chelsea beat their rivals 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to breath new life into their season and ease the pressure on head coach Sarri.
He instructed them to relentlessly press Spurs from the front – but acknowledged at the interval that was asking a lot from a side who went to extra time and penalties in the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City on Sunday.
Sarri explained: “At the beginning of the match we pressed very high. Then it was really very difficult because we played 130 minutes three days ago.
“So the players asked me to press a little bit lower and of course I agreed.
“They defended really very well and they also defended very well in the final against Man City and in the Europa League against Malmo – in the last three matches we defended very well.
“The level of application and level of attention is higher than before and I think the level of aggression is different now.”
Sarri also suggested that reports he faced the sack had Chelsea lost were “maybe not true” and that he has not been fazed by speculation over his future.
“In this job you are under pressure every week, if you’re lucky every six months. It’s normal,” he said.
“If you lose two matches, three matches in a row you’re under pressure. I think it’s normal for every coach, maybe something more in Chelsea.”
