A seething Maurizio Sarri launched an extraordinary attack on his Chelsea players after Saturday’s limp 2-0 Premier League loss at Arsenal.
Chelsea’s only defeat in their prior 14 Premier League games against Arsenal was the 3-0 loss in September 2016 which saw Antonio Conte make dramatic changes, leading to a run of 13 successive wins and the 2016-17 title.
But goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Laurent Koscielny earned the Gunners a deserved win, which saw them move three points behind the fourth-placed Blues to enliven the race for Champions League qualification. Manchester United are sixth, behind Arsenal on goal difference.
Sarri was left furious, switching to his native Italian for his post-match media conference – “to send a message to my players and I want my message to be very clear,” he said – as the 60-year-old attacked his their attitude and personalities.
Sarri said: “I have to say I’m extremely angry, very angry indeed. This defeat was due to our mentality, more than anything else.
“This is something I can’t accept. We had a similar issue in the league game at Tottenham (in November).
“I thought we’d overcome this issue. But it appears we still have this issue.
“This group of players are extremely difficult to motivate.”
Sarri has regularly criticised his players’ determination and motivation this season, but went a step further in analysing their flaws.
“It seems to me that, as a group of players, they’re not particularly aggressive from a mental point of view,” he added.
“They don’t have that ferocity in their mentality. That’s down to the type of players they are, their characteristics.
“It’s something that is difficult to change. It could take quite a long time.”
