Chelsea boss Sarri admits desire for Italy return

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, June 5, 2019
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Chelsea's manager Maurizio Sarri (R, front) and players of Chelsea celebrate with the trophy after the UEFA Europa League final match between Chelsea and Arsenal in Baku, Azerbaijan, May 29, 2019. Chelsea won 4-1. (Xinhua/ Tofik Babayev)

Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri believes he will return to Italy despite leading the London based club to the Europa League title and a third place finish in the Premier League behind Manchester City and Liverpool.

Speaking in an Italian edition of Vanity Fair, Sarri admitted he had a difficult year in England, where his style of football failed to win over a large sector of Chelsea fans.

The 60-year-old is the favorite to replace Massimiliano Allegri at Juventus and he said it would be tough to resist the chance to move back to Italy.

"For us, the call of home is strong, I feel that something is missing. It has been a heavy year. I begin to feel the weight of distant friends, elderly parents I rarely see. But at my age I only make professional choice," he said.

The former Napoli boss said he not only missed Italy, but region of Tuscany, saying that "when I return home to Tuscany I feel like a stranger. "

Although his football has not been popular at Stamford Bridge, Sarri defended his style of play, which he believes he has developed over time.

"It is a way of playing football and that's it. It comes from the slaps taken. Evolution is the daughter of defeats, not just in football. A defeat stays with me longer, makes me critical, moves me one step further," he added. 

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