Former Chelsea player and manager Ruud Gullit has questioned the actions of Maurizio Sarri after he was publically critical of his team.
Writing for BBC Sport, Gullit argues that it is risky to criticise players in such a way, even if you are right. The Dutch legend will be a guest on Match of the Day’s coverage of Chelsea v Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday evening and ahead of is return to Stamford Bridge, I had some harsh words for the former Napoli boss.
“The next time he (Sarri) is asked about Eden Hazard he should avoid saying anything negative, whatever he actually thinks,” said Gullit.
“It is very, very risky to criticise your players in public like Sarri did this week – even if you know you are right.
“Sometimes as a manager you really want to be open about what you are thinking, good or bad, and for the right reasons. You are hoping your players respond in the right way. But if that openness is misinterpreted by them, then you have more problems.
“What you really don’t want is a situation that plays out in the media like the one we have just seen at Chelsea. The only people who benefit when that happens are the newspapers.”
Sarri even took his press conference in Italian to make his thoughts crystal clear about how his side had performed. This week he brought in his former striker Gonzalo Higuain on loan as he looks to give his attacking options a boost. The Argentinian had previously played for Sarri at Napoli.