“For us Italians the call of home is strong,”
“I feel that something is missing. It has been a heavy year. I begin to feel the weight of distant friends and elderly parents I rarely see.
“But at my age, I only make professional choices. I won’t be able to work for 20 years. It’s hard work, the bench.”
Those are the words of Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri as reported by BBC, whereas The Telegraph is reporting that the Blues are already starting to line up a replacement for him. That seems to be the nature of the English game at the highest level nowadays, and in many ways, that has spread throughout the entirety of Europe. There seems to be this need or desire to always think ahead to the next thing, as opposed to appreciating what you’ve already got.
The *really* big questions
Chelsea Football Club find themselves in that position right now, because they don’t seem to be able to appreciate what they have. Manager Maurizio Sarri has been able to have a thoroughly successful season with the Blues, contrary to what some may have you believe. He led them back into the Champions League via the top four, he took them to the League Cup final, and they won the Europa League. There were definitely a few speedbumps along the way and it’s pointless acting like there wasn’t, but that isn’t really the point here. The point is that Sarri has been dramatically underrated and undervalued during his time at Stamford Bridge, and now, it’s time for him to make a decision for himself and himself only.
Maurizio Sarri has been heavily linked with a move back to Italy for longer than we can remember now, and it finally seems like it’s going to be coming to fruition after all this time. As you can tell by the above quotes it’s quite clear to see that this is exactly what he wants, and is probably what he has wanted all along. The Chelsea fans and media didn’t treat him with the respect that he deserved, and god knows that the team have let him down on more than one occasion.
Respect where it is due
The fact that he’s walking away from the job with a winners medal and a trophy is a miracle in itself, but beyond that, we’re just excited to see what he’s going to produce next.
In football, and in life, you can’t let things get in the way of you chasing your dreams. That may sound a little bit cringeworthy but it’s true, and we hate to see people not fulfilling their true potential. Now is the time for Sarri to step out and do his own thing back in his homeland, where it feels like he’s best suited. Perhaps he’ll wind up surprising everyone and going somewhere else, but based on the evidence alone, it feels safe to say that Sarri will be managing in Italy again sooner rather than later.