Maurizio Sarri has risked incurring the wrath of Roman Abramovich after claiming Chelsea’s charity fixture against New England Revolution next week, while well-intentioned, is untimely and will disrupt the team’s preparations for the Europa League final.
The club will take a full squad to Boston for the Final Whistle on Hate game at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday. All proceeds from the match, which effectively involves a four-day trip, are to be dedicated to initiatives aimed at combating antisemitism and hate crimes, causes in which the Chelsea owner has a particularly strong interest.
Although Sarri has praised the sentiment behind the fixture, he suggested the timing was “unfortunate” and would necessitate his players taking time off before they turn attentions to the final against Arsenal in Baku. “We go to the United States for a good reason I think, so, as a man, I am very happy to go there,” Sarri said. “As a coach, I am a little bit worried because I know very well that the team now needs rest. So it is not the best way to prepare the final. I have to look to my players, not Arsenal’s, so I know very well that my players need to rest.
“They will need time off after Boston. I want to speak to the physical staff, to the doctor and then we will need to prepare the programme. They will need three or four days of complete rest. I am not worried about the physical side so much. It is more difficult to recover mentally because, in a match like a final you spend, usually, a lot of energy and then of course your levels go down. It is not always easy for them to go up again.”
Sarri will make changes for Sunday’s final league fixture at Leicester with Champions League qualification already assured. Eden Hazard, who is expected to move to Real Madrid this summer, could play his final Premier League fixture, though the head coach insisted he was in the dark as to the player’s future intentions.
“If Hazard is thinking that the history here is finished, then in his mind it is finished,” Sarri said. “It’s not easy because of course I want Hazard, but I want Hazard with a very high level of motivation. I am not in charge of the renewal of the contract so I am not able to answer. I can only speak to the player but like a father, not like a manager.”
Meanwhile, David Luiz’s Chelsea future has been resolved after he signed a new two-year deal through to 2021. The Brazil defender’s current Blues deal expires at the end of the season, with the 32-year-old having been in protracted talks. He told the club website: “I am so happy to be here and to have this opportunity to stay. I love this club.”