Willian has no problems with Maurizio Sarri coming down hard on the team in the aftermath of the loss at the hands of the Spurs. Chelsea was one of the consistent teams in the Premiership in the first three months of the on-going season and hadn’t been beaten by any side before their trip to Tottenham last weekend, but that trip broke their streak as the Spurs absolutely belted them and handed them their first league defeat of the season.
The Blues’ performance at Wembley didn’t amuse Sarri at all and he didn’t hesitate in using the strong words for his boys as he spoke in the post match press conference. While he seemed to be unhappy with the entire team, one player that he was specifically unhappy with was N’Golo Kante. According to Sarri, Kante was given a particular role on the pitch and he should have remained focused on that role only rather than deviating and trying to do a different role.
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Speaking after the game, Guardiola highlighted that he was delighted with the outcome but stressed that the team were rather lucky that the Hammers could not find the scoresheet with the chances they had. Meanwhile, the Catalan tactician also happened to make a name check on the disappointing performances for Real Madrid and Manchester United on the same match day and suggested that there is room for improvement for his team.
Among the reported changes discussed are “one-shot” sanctions and clearance of handball. New penalty issues may mean that if a penalty is saved or returned from the post, the ball will be “dead” and a goal kick will be given. Under these new rules, Paul Pogba would not have had the chance to score his penalty against Everton last month after Jordan Pickford rescued his first move.
According to The Star, the Red Devils are keen on prolonging the stay of the former Fulham man, who has featured in each of the club’s previous five games across all competitions. It is added that manager Jose Mourinho is unsatisfied with the current options at hand but the arrival of another recruit in the New Year won’t hamper Smalling’s proposed extension with the club.
As a result, there have been plenty of question marks raised over the future of Mourinho but Keown believes the 55-year-old should carry on with the focus of winning games for the club, he said: “One of Mourinho’s main problems is that sometimes he is too honest. He honestly felt in the summer that if United did not buy more players, the group would not be good enough to win the league. Results have endorsed that view. He needs to ignore the media. This is a new Mourinho. I want to see him prove how good he is by turning this situation around. He needs to focus on winning matches, not arguments.”
They used to be a formidable Premier League side about a decade ago but their fortunes changed gradually, culminating into their third tier status in the English Football League. Between that time, the club has employed and sacked numerous managers, amid protests from the fans against the owners Venky’s. The public have watched as transfer policies failed and the club sunk in debt.