Gullit Warns Sarri Over Player Criticisms

By Joshua Walters

Ruud Gullit has warned Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri to stop criticising his players in public, saying that it is a risky road for any coach to ply.

Sarri aimed a dig at his players after Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-0 in the Premier League to reduce the point gap between them and their London rivals to three points, and said the crop of players at the club were very difficult to motivate.

Sarri’s criticism prompted the club to hold a meeting with the trainer and the players in an attempt to quash out every difference and defuse every possible tension between the two actors.

But, the heat barely died out before Sarri descended on Chelsea ace Eden Hazard at another press conference and described the Belgium national team captain as lacking self-respect and leadership qualities.

Gullit, who played for Chelsea between 1995 and 1998 before becoming a player-coach between 1996 and 1998, has warned Sarri to desist from such acts since it could destroy the relationship between him and his players, a development which could prove detrimental to his side.

"It is very, very risky to criticise your players in public like Sarri did this week – even if you know you are right.”

"Sometimes as a manager, you really want to be open about what you are thinking, good or bad, and for the right reasons. You are hoping your players respond in the right way."

"But if that openness is misinterpreted by them, then you have more problems." 

"What you really don't want is a situation that plays out in the media like the one we have just seen at Chelsea. The only people who benefit when that happens are the newspapers."

"Sarri spoke about Hazard, calling him an individual and not a leader, and then Hazard responded by basically saying he does not care what his manager thinks, he is still going to do his thing – so shut up," he said.

"That is already a sign of what can go wrong when you call your players out." 

"I have never really felt like Sarri's job was at risk through all this but, if they keep talking about each other then, as a manager, he is in trouble."

"That has nothing to do with the power of the player involved, either."

"Yes, Hazard is Chelsea's best player, and they rely on him too much, but it is the whole dressing room that Sarri has to handle here and keep happy, not just an individual."