David Luiz has insisted Kepa Arrizabalaga’s refusal to be substituted was not indicative of Maurizio Sarri losing the respect of his Chelsea players.
Sarri’s position is precarious after a run of poor results, but the 60-year-old Italian showed some tactical flexibility and his team put in a valiant performance in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final with Manchester City, who had beaten the Blues 6-0 just two weeks earlier.
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City retained the trophy with a 4-3 penalty shootout win at Wembley, but the match was overshadowed when Kepa declined to go off, sparking an angry response from Sarri.
Both parties later played down a misunderstanding and Luiz was adamant the players are on Sarri’s side. “The coach has the power over the group. He has our respect,” Luiz said.
“For me, there is not a problem here for that. We all believe in his philosophy, we all believe in the way he wants us to play. “That’s why we did a great game against the best team in Europe at the moment.
“Apart from that, it was a misunderstanding and we all want to do what is best for Chelsea.”
