Under-fire Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri is set to hold talks with the club’s board over his future, according to reports. The Italian is under intense pressure at the moment following Chelsea’s Carabao Cup final defeat by Manchester City at Wembley last time out. The Blues have also fallen down to sixth in the Premier League and were recently knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United, who beat them 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. Mirror
During the Carabao Cup final Sarri was also undermined by keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. The shot-stopper point blank refused to come off the pitch in place of Willy Caballero and argued across the field with his boss before Sarri was forced to back down and cancel the substitution.
Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga had a remarkable mid-game row with manager Maurizio Sarri, after refusing to be substituted in extra time of the Carabao Cup final. With the clash with Manchester City level at 0-0 and the game headed for penalties, Kepa required treatment after going down injured. That prompted Sarri to ready substitute goalkeeper Willy Caballero, who had saved three penalties in the 2016 EFL Cup final shootout for Manchester City against Liverpool. However, when the change came to be made, Kepa refused to make way, prompting an incredible stand off.
According to The Sun, the Chelsea boss will hold talks with the Chelsea board at Cobham this Tuesday to discuss the Kepa row among other things. Chelsea’s next match is another must-win fixture against bitter rivals Tottenham. It is unclear whether Sarri will drop Kepa for the clash or stick with the Spaniard, who has released an apology to his boss via a statement. Kepa’s statement read: “I was very happy to play in my first cup final for Chelsea yesterday and very proud of the team performance. “I have thought a lot more about yesterday’s events. Although there was a misunderstanding, on reflection, I made a big mistake with how I handled the situation.
“I wanted to take the time today to apologise fully and in person to the coach, to Willy, my team-mates and to the club. I have done this and now I want to offer the same apology to the fans. “I will learn from this episode and will accept any punishment or discipline the club decides is appropriate.”