Sarri Slams his players after 4-0 loss to Bournemouth

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri accepted that he may not be able to motivate his players as he battles to save his job after a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Bournemouth.

Maurizio Sarri suggested he might not be the man able to motivate Chelsea's wounded players
The Italian publicly called out his players following a recent away defeat to Arsenal, suggesting they lack the motivation to succeed, but he now appears to have turned the blame inward on himself. Pressure is mounting on Sarri behind the scenes with his side well adrift of the title race and defeat to Bournemouth – the heaviest since owner Roman Abramovich took control in 2003 – seeing them drop out of the top four.

‘Maybe it’s my fault, maybe I’m not able to motivate them,’ Sarri said. ‘But the team is very strong, it is also able to win without the coach. We have only to say sorry to our fans. We can lose, of course, in every match, but not in this way. We need to solve the problem. We need to understand where the problem is.’

Fans were not shy in voicing their anger as they were heard chanting ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ to the Italian manager, brought in in the summer to replace Antonio Conte. New signing Gonzalo Higuain endured a below par first start in the Premier League while talented youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi watched from the stands as he was punished for recently handing in a transfer request. But rather the future of the 18-year-old Hudson-Odoi dominating the headlines, the future of the manager is the big talking point as Chelsea face a real challenge to secure Champions League football for next season.


‘I feel frustrated, not under pressure,’ he added. ‘I don’t see… I didn’t see the signal of my work. So I am frustrated.’ A penalty-shootout victory over Tottenham at Stamford Bridge last week ensured a spot in the Carabao Cup final next month but the patience of Abramovich is wearing thin.

Chelsea fans turned on him during the game and added a chorus of boos after the final whistle. According to reports, Sarri was still locked in the away dressing room with his players 50 minutes after the full-time whistle at the Vitality stadium. The 60-year-old removed his coaching staff from the room, ensuring it was just himself and his players.