Posts tagged: Maurizio Sarri

Didier Drogba says no one can replace Eden Hazard at Chelsea

Chelsea legend Didier Drogba has said that no player can replace Eden Hazard at Stamford Bridge. The Belgium international made the switch to Real Madrid from the Blues after seven seasons and that has left a potential void on the left side of the attack, though new signing Christian Pulisic has been backed to take up the role.

Speaking during an Instagram live on his account, Drogba said that Hazard remains a special player and the Blues may not be able to instantly replace him in their ranks, he said: “No one can replace Hazard, he is special. But someone else will come, [and] step up. “Eden Hazard is a legend at Chelsea. That’s life, that’s football.”

The west London giants were expecting the departure of Hazard from the midway stage of the previous campaign and that made them secure a transfer agreement for Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund. That move has become more crucial with the club now serving a 12-month ban and it remains to be seen whether the United States international can hit the ground running next term.

Pulisic had a rather indifferent season with Dortmund where he struggled with multiple calf concerns and that partly reduced his gametime with the club. Nonetheless, he has shown plenty of promise through the Gold Cup with the national team and the Blues will be hoping that the attacker makes a bright start to his debut Premier League season.

Chelsea are currently without a manager after the departure of Maurizio Sarri but they have been tipped to pursue Frank Lampard as the new boss. The former Blues star is currently contracted to Derby County in the Championship but the Blues remain confident of landing his signature with negotiations at an advanced stage with the Rams. Lampard guided the Rams to the Championship play-off final during his debut managerial season last term.

Maurizio Sarri reacts after Chelsea’s stalemate against Manchester United

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has indicated that he is disappointed with the eventual outcome during the Premier League clash against Manchester United on Sunday. The Blues had the opportunity to bridge a four-point gap between themselves and fifth-placed Arsenal, but they failed to take complete advantage after settling for a 1-1 draw against the Red Devils on the road.

Speaking after the game, Sarri said that the Blues were not in control of the clash with United making things difficult for them. He added that the team were nonetheless impressive through the encounter but ought to be disappointed after squandering a clear-cut chance right before the final whistle.
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Olivier Giroud speaks after bagging maiden Chelsea hat-trick against Dynamo Kiev

Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud has acknowledged that he is delighted with his performance against Dynamo Kiev on Thursday night. The Blues were already holding a 3-0 advantage over Kiev after the first leg of the round of 16, but they came up with a better away performance as they secured a comfortable 5-0 triumph.

In that showing, Giroud bagged the man of the match accolade with his maiden club hat-trick and he was pleased over the same. Speaking to BT Sport, Giroud revealed the delight at achieving a maiden hat-trick with the Blues while also contributing towards Callum Hudson-Odoi’s goal on the night, he said: “I’m very pleased with all of the goals I scored and the assist I give to Callum, we gave a great team performance today. Tonight we’ve done well at set-pieces, and it’s nice because when you can score goals from set-pieces you understand that you can get more points at the end of the championship, and obviously when you play Europa League.”
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