Sarri: ‘Harder to follow Conte’

By Football Italia staff

Maurizio Sarri believes it’s harder for him to follow Antonio Conte at Chelsea than for Carlo Ancelotti succeed him at Napoli - “I didn’t win anything…”

The tactician left the Partenopei this summer to take over at Stamford Bridge, though it took some time for a deal to be finalised.

Ancelotti was announced in May, but haggling over compensation meant it took over a month before his predecessor could move to England.

“I still don’t know why I was sacked, you’d have to ask the club,” Sarri told Il Mattino, in an interview which was previewed last night.

“Now I have Chelsea though and I’m happy. There were reasons I wanted to stay at Napoli and some reasons why I had doubts.

“The contract the President [Aurelio De Laurentiis] wanted had a release clause up to May 31, and instead they signed Ancelotti on May 21.

“I’m grateful [to De Laurentiis] though because he gave me an opportunity to coach the team I love, and if I’m here at Chelsea it’s because I coached Napoli.

“Succeeding me? I didn’t win anything in Naples, Conte won here so it’s difficult to replace him.”

Sarri was also asked how he views Italy from London.

“The same way you see it close up: full of problems.

“When we’re far away though there’s always a bit of nostalgia and the feeling that something is missing.

“The food more than anything, but I’m getting used to the meat and salmon here. I still can’t find anyone who makes coffee like Tommaso [Napoli’s coffee maker] though!

“I haven’t really been following the Italian league in the first rounds, I saw a little bit of Napoli, Milan, Inter, and Juventus.

“It’s totally different here though. It’s a total party, it’s a pleasure to come to the stadium and see fans in different shirts having a beer together.

“I sign autographs for fans of the opposing team on the touchline, before and after the match.

“The games have so much intensity and physicality. English football is different from Italian football, and is played in extraordinary stadiums.

“I know less about the teams I’m facing and the opponents, and at the start it wasn’t that easy to understand the language!

“I learned English 31 years ago, when I was in the bank, but then I stopped for 29 years…”

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