Interviewed by Sun, Maurizio Sarriformer coach of, among others, Chelsea and Juventus, talks about leaving the English club to coach the Old Lady: “I wanted to return to Italy because the situation at Chelsea wasn’t easy. In that period Abramovich wasn’t allowed to go to England. I only saw him at matches abroad, but not very often. My point of reference was only Marina. There was no sports director so the situation wasn’t that clear but it was a mistake. It would have been better to stay there. I was a little worried about the situation with Chelsea, the situation within the club. It wasn’t clear.”
The details of the return: “I asked Marina if it was possible to return to Italy and Marina asked Juventus for money to release me. They said that if I wanted to stay at Chelsea it was possible. But at the end of the season with Chelsea it was a good experience and good results We finished third in the Premier League, reached the League Cup final and won the Europa League. Of course there were sometimes two or three disasters, like in Manchester City, like Bournemouth. Now I’m ready to start again. I don’t know where the staff and I are ready.”
Still on Juve: “We won the scudetto with Juve, but it’s not the same as the Premier League. England is the top level for players, teams, clubs, stadiums, fans. For everything. So I’d like to come back. If I had a team and had the opportunity to be the manager of a team at the same level, I think I could do even better. If Chelsea managed to get into the top four, then my football must have been suitable. Probably the disaster in Manchester and Bournemouth made the fans unhappy for mine situation and my football. I think it was a sensation for a couple of months, no more.”