Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri admits his team have a ‘mental problem’ but insists he is comfortable with his relationship with the owner Roman Abramovich, reports Daily Mail.
Sarri revealed that he and his beleaguered team held one hour of crisis talks on Monday morning after the 6-0 defeat at Manchester City.
Sarri is under-fire after his side slumped to sixth in the Premier League table following three consecutive away defeats in which his team have conceded 12 goals and failed to score. Marcos Alonso, who was hooked in the second-half against City, has been left at home despite being fit.
Arriving in Sweden on Wednesday evening ahead of the Europa League knockout tie against Malmo, Sarri was further under the microscope as chairman Bruce Buck took a seat beside journalists in the press conference to observe proceedings. Buck has attended press conferences before but in the current context it felt significant.
Sarri moved to clarify comments he was reported to have made to Italian media after the defeat at City, in which he was alleged to have said that he ‘never’ hears from Abramovich.
“‘I never said never. Not very often, but not never,” Sarri said.
Asked if he has spoken to Abramovich this season, Sarri said, “Yes of course. Not in this week. Not in the last three weeks. I’d like to speak to somebody at the club, not necessarily with the owner. I usually speak with Marina Granovskaia (club director), and that is enough.”
“We talked all together for one hour the day after the match. We arrived at the match with the right level of motivation. After the first goal, we were not able to react or do anything. So the problem is different. But it’s always a mind problem, a mental problem, so we need to solve them.”
