Maurizio Sarri arrived with an uncertain reputation, clouded in part by the near-mystery of his own character and in even greater part his drawn out and not quite amicable separation from his boyhood team, Napoli. But all he’s done in the four months since is make football fun again for the players and make friends with everyone else (sometimes to a fault, even, like in his overly submissive handling of the Ianni vs. Mourinho incident). Of course, it’s helped that he literally hasn’t lost a match since before the season started. Winning makes everything easier.
In fact, Sarri has now even moved to bury the hatchet with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis, having previously exchanged a few pointed verbal barbs in the media since the start of the season.
“I have nothing to say about him. I can only thank him. He gave me the greatest personal satisfaction of my life, letting me coach the team of my heart and origin. It was a wonderful adventure and not even the manner of my exit could erase that.”
Sarri may have grown up in Florence, but he was born in Naples and that’s where his heart belongs to now and forever. He’s of course proud of his legacy there, which included setting a points (91) and wins (28) record (in the league) for the club in his final season.
“I think the most visible [legacy] is numerical: I took over a Napoli side who had just finished the season with 64 points and left behind one who reached 91. We couldn’t do more than that. The other legacy is personal: the relationship with the city and its people. I’ll never detach myself from Napoli.”
-Maurizio Sarri; source: Gazzetta dello Sport via Football Italia
If he can leave a similar mark on Chelsea, with perhaps a trophy or two to boot, he won’t be able to detach himself from the Chelsea record books either.