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What's the story?
Chelsea star David Luiz has cleared the air on supposed feuds in the dressing room between Maurizio Sarri and his players, claiming that the entire unit is backing the manager and his decisions. The experienced centre-back added that he believes in the gaffer and his philosophy.
In case you didn't know...
Sarri was seen agitated, infuriated and extremely frustrated at his players during Chelsea's sorrowful 2-0 defeat at Arsenal. The Blues have only managed 13 goals in their previous 11 Premier League matches, having netted 27 in their first 11 matches of the season.
Lack of response from the players, Eden Hazard's current role in the team and Jorginho's poor performance drew a host of negative comments, indicating that the players and their manager are on an ongoing battle off the pitch.
The heart of the matter
However, David Luiz addressed the matter and affirmed that the former Napoli and Empoli boss was not the only man from the blue side of London to remain perplexed and annoyed.
He said:
“He was not happy, but nobody was happy, so it was normal. It is our style, it is our philosophy, I think if you asked at the beginning of the season can Chelsea keep the ball you would have said no.
And now we are able to do that, like the best teams in the world, but then we have improve our last 25 metres. It is part of the process, when you try to do something and this is inside your mind, if you believe in it you can arrive there."
The 30-year-old continued:
"Because of the results if you start to change and change, you don’t go anywhere. So this is our philosophy, I believe in it, I trust in it, so I just know we have to improve, like every team in the world.
Luiz added that there is no friction between his teammates and Sarri, saying:
"What he has done has been amazing, so we have to try to improve the details now. I don’t think so [that players are turning], everybody is trusting his job and everybody is with him.”
What's next?
Chelsea face another massive acid test when they host Tottenham Hotspur - the team that has clearly outplayed the Blues this season so far in all competitions - at Stamford Bridge on Thursday to play out the second leg of the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
The West Londoners will have to turn the 1-0 deficit around to progress to the penultimate final, where Manchester City, most probably, lay in wait.
