Sarri: ‘I cannot see a reason for football without fun’

A bit of required reading for you to start your week right: Maurizio Sarri’s exclusive interview over on the official Chelsea website.

He talks mostly about his football upbringing, his playing career, and his general approach to football. None of it is necessarily brand new information if you’ve read about him before, but it’s worth your time either way.

My job as a defender may have been to stop opponents playing but the first time I went to the pitch I wanted to have fun and so I think it is the same now, otherwise it is only work, only a job. I cannot see a reason for football without fun.

-Maurizio Sarri; source: Chelsea FC

There are a couple bits and details in there that were new to me, such as Napoli legend (and later sporting director) Antonio Juliano being his first football hero and what it was like to face the legendary Oleg Blokhin in a friendly (“It was a disaster! He was very fast.”)

In any case, click and read. (Part 2 will be published tomorrow.)

*Juliano, rather unsurprisingly was known as the conductor, the heart of Napoli for most of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Juliano was slow, lacked the imagination associated with Neapolitans and was certainly not a flair player, but every move the team made went through him. Sound familiar?