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Sarri complaints ironic with respect to last season’s Juventus allegations

Sarri complaints ironic with respect to last season’s Juventus allegations

Maurizio Sarri has sparked first bits of controversy in England, after being appointed by Chelsea this summer. The Italian coach complained about the fact that his team could not play their Premier League match on Monday, despite having a mid-week cup match in the Europa League. This is not a new thing, considering Sarri’s allegations and complaints in the last Serie A campaign.

“I do not know why in England it is not possible to play a match on Monday after the Europa League. In Italy this is normal,” Sarri said yesterday after his side drew 0-0 against West Ham. It is certainly a valid point from the former Napoli man, but does it correspond to his declarations from the near past? Not exactly.

Last season Napoli were in the title race with Juventus until the very end of the season, but in the end Sarri’s team finished second with a four-point deficit. Throughout the season, Juventus played many matches before the Partenopei, and Sarri did not take the fixture scheduled with a cool head.



“The calendar? Looking at the fixtures, Juventus have several winnable games before us and this could put pressure on our team. They will be playing before us a lot over the course of the next few weeks. These things should be looked at beforehand and we should look to find a better solution. I have some doubts over the credibility of those who decide such matters,” Sarri told Sky in January this year.

“The Lega has to improve because, especially, in the final 16 rounds, 14 times we played after Juventus. Considering that Juventus practically always win, it is clear that this damaged us significantly,” Sarri later said in May.

In short, it is clear that the 59-year-old has a history of complaining about these matters. It should not be surprising for Premier League fans, but it does have a somewhat ironic undertone. While at Napoli, Sarri’s excuses were based on playing after the other title contender, while in England he has completely turned the card and is now surprised that it is not possible to play later, because “in Italy it is normal”.



This may confuse many, as Sarri is talking about the same Italy which he criticized for the majority of the second half of the season for imperfections in terms of schedule, even going as far as making allegations that those who decide schedules lack credibility.

The other ironic aspect of this is also the fact that in the second half of the season Napoli played in the Europa League, even though only one round. Logically, with matches on Thursday, Napoli’s league matches were scheduled after Juventus, who played in the Champions League (Tuesdays/Wednesdays) for the club’s benefit and regeneration.

Taking all aspects into consideration, Sarri definitely has a valid point regarding England’s schedule planning, but taking his past declarations and allegations into account, it does seem a bit paranoid and unnecessary and can be viewed by many just as an attempt to spark a bit of controversy and crave for attention.