Maurizio Sarri says Chelsea players should be able to win with or without a coach in the wake of their brutal loss to Bournemouth.
Chelsea lost the game 4-0 on the South Coast, with four second-half goals from Josh King(2), David Brooks and Charlie Daniels sealing a famous win for Eddie Howe’s Cherries.
It was by many measures the Blues’ worst performance of the season, and manager Maurizio Sarri pondered whether he is the right man to “motivate” the squad, before putting the onus squarely on his players.
“Maybe it’s my fault, maybe I’m not able to motivate them,” Sarri told his post match press conference.
“But the team is very strong, it is also able to win without the coach.
“We have only to say sorry to our fans. We can lose, of course, in every match, but not in this way.
“We need to solve the problem. We need to understand where the problem is.”
This is not the first time the Italian manager has questioned his team’s motivation for the fight required in the Premier League, angrily criticising his players following Chelsea’s 2-0 loss to Arsenal.