Maurizio Sarri profile: Chelsea’s new manager is chain-smoking maverick accused of racist and homophobic abuse at Napoli
Blues look set to appoint former bank clerk who would be polar opposite of negative Antonio Conte
LIFE at Chelsea could be about to get very interesting, with the FA cup winners expected to announce the appointment of Maurizio Sarri as their new manager.
The defensive, pragmatic stance of outgoing boss Antonio Conte will be ditched.
In its place will be the breath-taking Sarri-ball of Napoli, a fluid, tika-taka-on-speed style with the emphasis on moving up the pitch in short passes as quickly as possible.
But Chelsea will be employing a very testy character, who left Napoli this week under a cloud, to be replaced by Carlo Ancelotti.
Sarri is an old-school chain-smoking, potty-mouthed maverick who has been accused of making racist and homophobic insults towards ex-Man City boss Roberto Mancini.
He is a fan of pulp fiction, particularly the American author Charles Bukowski.
Sarri is an unrepentant smoker and has been known to leave a stadium mid-game for a quick cigarette.
He is also regarded as the best tactical coach in Italy, a nation that prides itself on the science of football.
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Part of Sarri’s mystique is the long time he spent in obscurity on the fringes of the game.
Sarri, 59, was born in Bagnoli, a working class area of Naples, where his father Amerigo worked as a crane driver at a steel plant.
“Hard work is getting up at six in the morning to go to the factory,” Sarri once said.
His dreams of making it as a footballer died in his early 20s and he took a job in with Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the oldest bank in the world.
The role took him for a spell in London, along with Frankfurt and Luxembourg.
But he spent every moment of his spare time as a football coach, working with amateur sides in Tuscany.
Maurizio Sarri
Clubs
- 2000-03: Sansovino
- 2003-05: Sangiovannese
- 2005-06: Pescara
- 2006-07: Arezzo
- 2007: Avellino
- 2008: Hellas Verona
- 2008-09: Perugia
- 2010-11: Alessandria
- 2011-12: Sorrento
- 2012-15: Empoli
- 2015-18: Napoli
Honours
- Serie B coach of the year: 2014
- Serie A coach of the year: 2016, 2017
Showing the fearless spirit that would later be personified by his buccaneering Napoli team, Sarri boldly took the plunge and quit his 9-5 job at the bank to become a full-time coach.
He says of his time in the world of finance: “My experience in the bank is added value. I have learned the value of organisation and decision-making.”
Sarri did the hard lines, gradually working his way through the lower levels in Italy at the likes of Sita, Faellese, Tegoleto, Grosseto and Sorrento.
He became know as Mr 33, after the 33 set-piece routines he made his players practice during his time at sixth-tier club Sansovino.
Having served his long apprenticeship, Sarri arrived in Serie A in 2014 when he took Empoli up.
His work at the Florence club was based on two principles that would become cornerstones of his success at Napoli, principles that have made him so attractive to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.
Firstly the free-flowing attacking football that endears Sarri’s teams to fans and purists alike.
And secondly his determination to do it on a budget, making the most of the players at his disposal and nurturing young talent.
Napoli-fan Sarri took charge of his hometown club in 2015 where his organized, attacking system became dubbed Sarri-ball.
Last season they led Serie A for most of the season, only to lose out to Juventus in the final stretch, with Sarri’s refusal to rotate his side being blamed for the disappointment.
The expansive, passing game prompted legendary boss Arrigo Sacchi to bracket him with Pep Guardiola.
Sacchi said: “Football is music for them, a form of art. They are two geniuses who help the evolution of hits beautiful sport.”
However his brusque manner has got him in trouble on several occasions.
In 2016 the then Inter Milan manager Mancini accused Sarri of calling him a ‘poof’ and a ‘faggot’ on the touchline during a Coppa Italia match.
After the game Mancini said: “Sarri is a racist. People like him do not belong in football. He used racist words.
“Sarri shouted ‘poof’ and ‘faggot’ at me. I would be proud to be that if he is what’s considered a man.
“People like him should not be in football. He is 60-years-old. The fourth official heard but didn’t say anything. He should really be ashamed of himself.”
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Sarri was fined and handed a two-game ban after he apologised for using “highly insulting” language.
He was also reprimanded for his comments to a female journalist two months ago.
She had asked if Napoli’s title hopes were on the slide, and he replied: “You’re a woman, you’re beautiful, and I won’t tell you to f*** off for those two reasons.”
Chelsea believe Sarri is worth the trouble.