LONDON: Maurizio Sarri insists he is not worried about being sacked as Chelsea manager despite his troubled side’s lacklustre FA Cup surrender against Manchester United.
Sarri faces a fight to save his job after FA Cup holders Chelsea crashed to a 2-0 fifth round defeat at Stamford Bridge on Monday.
Ander Herrera headed United into the lead from Paul Pogba’s cross in the 31st minute.
France star Pogba doubled United’s advantage on the stroke of half-time when he met Marcus Rashford’s cross with a diving header.
Sarri endured chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing” and “you’re getting sacked in the morning” as furious Chelsea fans showed their frustration at the club’s fifth defeat in their last 10 games.
Chelsea’s stars, publicly criticized by their manager on several occasions this term, hardly looked to be battling to keep the Italian as they failed to muster a shot on target after the 11th minute.
Sarri’s fragile relationship with his players, combined with the mutinous atmosphere among supporters, increased the feeling that the former Napoli boss might not survive until the end of his first season with Chelsea.
Demanding Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has acted quickly in the past when managers have been perceived to have lost the support of the squad.
But Sarri is adamant he isn’t concerned about his perilous position and he claimed he is solely focused on salvaging his club’s turbulent season.
Asked if he was worried Abramovich might be ready to wield the axe, Sarri said: “It’s not my problem.
“I was only worried about my position when I was in League 2 in Italy, not now.
“I am worried about the results, not about the fans. Of course I can understand the situation.
“I can understand our fans, because the result wasn’t really good. We are out of the FA Cup.”
Following widespread reports that Sarri’s players are underwhelmed by his stubborn refusal to change his tactics, the 60-year-old did make the alarming admission that he wasn’t certain he still had their backing.
“Of course I’m not sure, but I think so. I think the situation with the players is very good in terms of our relationship but that’s not so important,” he said.
“What’s important is to play and get good results.”
Chelsea supporters called for their club’s former legend Frank Lampard, now in charge at Derby, to be hired and directed foul-mouthed abuse at Sarri.
“Not really very well, but sometimes yes. For everything there is the first time,” he said when quizzed on if he heard the taunts from his own fans.
Sarri believes his situation will be improved significantly if Chelsea can string together a winning run, starting with Thursday’s Europa League last 32 second leg against Malmo and the League Cup final against Manchester City on Sunday.
“It’s really very easy. If we are able to win three or four matches in a row, it will be easy. Of course it’s difficult to win five matches in a row,” he said with a curious smirk that suggested he didn’t really believe his own outward optimism.
“We need of course more aggression, more determination in the situation inside our box and inside the opposing box.
“My job is to work with my players to try and improve in a few days because we conceded the second goal without determination or aggression.
“The difference was there. We played 78 balls in the opposing box and United only 16 balls our box. We are supposed to win.”
Having previously questioned whether his players understood his football philosophy, Sarri repeated that complaint.
“Not completely at the moment because, especially in a situation like the second half, we have to move the ball faster mentally and materially,” he said.
“We need more movements without the ball and less individual actions.”
Maurizio Sarri does not fear the sack after Chelsea’s sorry show against Manchester United
Maurizio Sarri does not fear the sack after Chelsea’s sorry show against Manchester United
- Italian still focused on job at hand with Blues out the FA Cup and falling in the Premier League.
- Sarri has lost the fans in a short space of time at Stamford Bridge. (AFP)
PSG finish off Arsenal to reach Champions League final
- Nevertheless, PSG made it 2-0 on the night when Dembele, on from the bench, teed up Hakimi to finish in style
PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain clinched a place in the Champions League final as goals by Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi gave them a 2-1 win over Arsenal in the second leg of their last-four tie on Wednesday, securing a 3-1 aggregate triumph.
Ruiz crashed in a shot from the edge of the area in the 27th minute at the Parc des Princes to leave PSG firmly in the driving seat after they had withstood an early bombardment from the visitors.
Already leading in the tie after Ousmane Dembele’s goal in last week’s first leg, PSG then saw Vitinha have a second-half penalty saved.
However, Hakimi put the tie beyond Arsenal when he scored in the 72nd minute, even if Bukayo Saka did then pull one back for the visitors.
PSG advance to a showdown in Munich on May 31 against Inter Milan, and it will be the second Champions League final in their history, five years after a defeat by Bayern Munich in Lisbon.
Arsenal, meanwhile, saw their European dream come to an end as they fell short of reaching what would have been their second final, 19 years after losing to Barcelona in Paris.
Still without a trophy since the 2020 FA Cup, all that is left to play for now for Mikel Arteta’s side is securing a third consecutive second-place finish in the Premier League.
There was an electric atmosphere all evening in Paris, and PSG were able to celebrate getting to a final in front of their fans for the first time, after their victory against RB Leipzig in the last four in 2020 was played behind closed doors during the pandemic.
There was a feverish mood in and around the ground pre-match, but PSG have tripped up in big Champions League ties plenty of times over the last decade.
In addition, their top scorer Dembele was not in the starting line-up having come off with a hamstring problem in the first leg.
Arsenal, with Thomas Partey back in midfield after missing the first leg through suspension, did their best to silence the raucous home support by throwing everything at the Parisians right from the off.
Declan Rice headed just wide, and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma denied Gabriel Martinelli from close range before producing a stunning save low to his left to keep out a Martin Odegaard shot, all inside the opening eight minutes.
PSG did eventually settle, and they almost went ahead on 17 minutes when Desire Doue teed up Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, whose curling shot hit the far post.
Then Doue wasted a great chance, shooting straight at David Raya in the Arsenal goal after Bradley Barcola had intercepted a loose ball.
But PSG did score before the half-hour mark, the goal coming in the wake of a free-kick awarded for a Rice foul on Kvaratskhelia.
Vitinha’s delivery was headed out by Partey but fell to Ruiz on the edge of the box, and he controlled before smashing in a left-foot shot as the ball bounced back up.
It was the ideal moment for the 29-year-old Spaniard to score his first Champions League goal.
Barcola failed to convert a good chance for the hosts to score again moments later, and Arsenal still had some hope going into the second half.
Only another stunning Donnarumma save with his fingertips prevented Saka from pulling one back on 64 minutes, before PSG were awarded a spot-kick.
German referee Felix Zwayer gave the penalty after being summoned to the pitchside monitor when a shot by Hakimi brushed the outstretched hand of Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Arteta was furious at the decision, yet Vitinha’s kick was turned away by Raya diving to his left.
Nevertheless, PSG made it 2-0 on the night when Dembele, on from the bench, teed up Hakimi to finish in style.
This being PSG, however, there was a wobble as Saka quickly pulled one back from close range after Arsenal substitute Leandro Trossard had got the better of Marquinhos on the wing.
Saka then somehow blazed over with an open goal gaping from Riccardo Calafiori’s cross, ensuring that there would be no miracle Arsenal comeback and it would be PSG’s night.
Al-Ittihad take step towards SPL title
- Algeria international Houssem Aouar, scored the winner in added time from close range following a cross by Moussa Diaby
Al-Itithad defeated Al-Nassr 3-2 on Wednesday to take a big step towards the Saudi Pro League (SPL) title. With four games of the season remaining, Ittihad are six points clear and are looking good for the big prize.
It was not an easy win but somehow the visitors came back from two goals down to record the win. It was a close-run thing however. By the break, Al-Nassr were two goals to the good and were on course for a huge win.
It started in fine fashion as, Sadio Mane put Nassr ahead and then eight minutes before the break, Ayman Yahya made it 2-0,
In the first ten minutes after the restart and Ittihad were level. First, French international striker Karim Benzema pulled a goal back and then N’Golo Kante scored to level the game. It seemed as if it that was that but then Al-Ittihad scored once more through Houssem Aouar and that ended up winning the game.
In the other big game of the day, Al-Hilal won 5-3 at Al-Raed to ensure that the race for the top was not over.
Salem Al-Dawsari was the hero for Al-Hilal as he scored three goals for the 19-time champions. The Saudi Arabian international scored a hat-trick. His first came four minutes before the break.
The result means that there is still a long way to go in this season.
Grant back in Italy hoping to follow Sinner as the country’s next tennis star
ROME: Tyra Caterina Grant grew up playing and living at the same tennis academy in northern Italy that Jannik Sinner attended before he went on to become No. 1.
So perhaps it feels natural that the 17-year-old Grant, a three-time junior Grand Slam doubles champion, will try to follow in Sinner’s footsteps again after announcing that she has switched nationalities from the US and will represent Italy for her promising professional career.
Grant’s father is American basketball player Tyrone Grant, who spent most of his pro career in Italy. Her Italian mother, Cinzia Giovinco, taught her to play tennis. She grew up in Vigevano, a town near Milan, and can switch between fluent Italian and English from one sentence to the next.
“I switched to Italy because I feel mostly Italian even though I’m half and half,” Grant said upon arriving in Rome, where she’s been given a wild card to play the Italian Open. “I’m more connected to the Italian part because I was born here and I grew up here and my friends are here. I feel more connected to the Italian culture and I feel more at home here.”
Grant and Sinner
Grant trained at Riccardo Piatti’s academy in Bordighera from age seven to 14 before she moved to Orlando, Florida.
Sinner, who is 6½ years older than Grant, was already one of Piatti’s star pupils when she arrived.
“Growing up with Jannik was great,” Grant said. “He was I think around 14 when we first met and I was a little younger so obviously it was kind of an age gap, but in Bordighera we were all just like a big family so it was lovely.”
Coco Gauff sees Grant’s potential
While Grant is ranked No. 335 by the WTA Tour, she is No. 6 in the International Tennis Federation’s junior rankings.
Grant also reached the semifinals of the junior singles tournament at last year’s French Open; and got to the semifinals of the senior mixed doubles competition at the US Open with American partner Aleksandar Kovacevic. Grant and Kovacevic were beaten by eventual champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori of Italy.
Coco Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, got to know Grant a bit when she was among the juniors brought in to practice with the US national team.
“I’ve actually never watched her play,” Gauff said. “Based off the results, what I see her doing in juniors, obviously she has a lot of potential. I just never sat there and watched a match. I will now that she’s playing on the same level. I’ll try to get ready. Probably going to play each other sooner than later.”
Gauff and Grant were guests of honor at the Italian Open draw at the Trevi Fountain on Monday.
“If I had a cool option like Italy — I think they’re a great place to represent — I might do the same,” Gauff said, before quickly adding, “I love being American, too.
“When I see her interacting with Italians here, I’m like, ‘OK, yeah, I see why she made the change,’” Gauff said.
More attention in Italy
Italy has only one woman in the top 50 of the WTA rankings with Jasmine Paolini at No. 5.
Gauff, who is No. 3, leads a group of 10 Americans in the top 50.
So Grant could potentially attract more attention in Italy than in the US
“Obviously the US is bigger and probably has more female players but I was (already) one of the top players there so it’s not much of a difference,” she said.
Tyra or Tyra Caterina?
While Grant is often referred to by only her first name, her official bio on the WTA website lists her as Tyra Caterina Grant.
NEOM launches Champions of Progress initiative to drive community football
- Scheme open to nominations from across Middle East, Asia
- The initiative is open to individuals aged 18 and above from across the region
NEOM: The Asian Football Confederation’s official partner, NEOM, on Wednesday launched an initiative that aims to celebrate community heroes in football across Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and Asia.
Known as Champions of Progress, the scheme will use football’s global platform to drive positive change across the region and help the development of talent from grassroots to elite players.
The partnership supports NEOM’s vision to grow football in the Kingdom, improve access to physical activity for people and help make the country a global sports destination, it said in a statement.
“Champions of Progress seeks to celebrate individuals and projects that promote positive community engagement, support innovative sports development and show a commitment to diversity and inclusion in football,” it said.
The initiative is open to individuals aged 18 and above from across the region, as well as projects that have had a significant impact in the development of football at a community level, increased participation numbers or improved accessibility.
A panel of judges, including experts from NEOM and AFC, will review all submissions to determine the winners.
The six “champions” will be invited to the AFC Champions League Elite at the beginning of the 2025/26 season where they will meet senior members of the Saudi football community.
Their stories will also be shared across selected partnership channels to drive awareness and encourage positive change in pan-Asian football.
‘Mr Dakar’ Peterhansel returns with Defender for 2026
- The Frenchman did not enter this year after Audi withdrew but will be back in Saudi Arabia next January
- Peterhansel won the Dakar six times on motorcycles
RABAT: ‘Mr Dakar’ Stephane Peterhansel, a record 14 times winner of the Dakar Rally, will return to the gruelling endurance event next year aged 60 as a driver for Jaguar Land Rover’s Defender brand.
The Frenchman, who turns 60 in August, did not enter this year after Audi withdrew but will be back in Saudi Arabia next January competing in the Stock category for production-based vehicles.
It will be Peterhansel’s 36th career Dakar, an event he last won in 2021 with Mini. He will also compete in the full World Rally-Raid Championship.
Peterhansel won the Dakar six times on motorcycles between 1991 and 1998 before switching in 1999 to cars and winning with Mitsubishi, Mini and Peugeot.
“I’m looking forward to taking on this new challenge and together I hope we can take Defender to the top step of the podium,” he said in a statement after prototype testing in Morocco’s Sahara desert.
While Peterhansel holds the record for most wins, Spaniard Carlos Sainz — father of the namesake Formula One driver — is the oldest winner after taking his fourth victory in 2024 at the age of 61.
Defender also announced the signing of Lithuanian driver Rokas Baciuska, 25. A third driver and the co-drivers will be announced at a later date.
