Maurizio Sarri’s Press Conference Ahead Of Chelsea’s Premier League Clash With Wolverhampton

Injury news ahead of Wolves?

“No. I spoke with the doctor 10 minutes ago, but we have no injuries at the moment. Then, of course, we had a little problem with Kovacic in the last match, and also with Alonso. But, for the doctor, they are able to play. Now we have to see the last training session just in order to understand if there is somebody tired after the match.”

Happy with Azpilicueta’s new deal?

“Azpilicueta is important for the staff, for the coach, for the team-mates. It’s very important for this club, I think. I’m very happy with the new contract for him, and for the club.”

What more can Ruben Loftus-Cheek do to earn a Premier League starting place?

“He played some matches in the Europa League and the League Cup, and he played five or six matches in the Premier League without starting, I think. He is, at the moment, very important for us.

“He had some problems to understand very well what I wanted, but now he is improving and, in the last two matches, I was really very happy with him.”

Will he head out in January?

“No. I want him to stay with me, to stay with us. So I think that there is no chance [of him leaving].”

Have you made an official offer for Christian Pulisic?

“Pusilic is a Borussia Dortmund player, and I don’t want to talk about a player of another club. It’s not professional, I think.”

What do you expect from Wolves?

“I expect a very difficult match because they are a very technical team. They have a lot of players who are very technical. So they were unlucky in the last few matches, I think, but it’s not really very easy to play there.”

Jurgen Klopp’s reaction after the Liverpool game, would you do that?

I don’t know, I don’t know. You have to understand the situation: the derby, the goal in the last minute, maybe in the last seconds of the match. It can happen. It’s better not to do something like that, but I can understand him.”

What were the injuries for Kovacic and Alonso?

“Ankle knock (for Kovacic). Alonso had a little problem with his back.”

Does that explain why Alonso was below par against Fulham?

“I don’t know. I don’t know. You cannot… I think you cannot say that after the match. That you’re injured or able to play.”

Does he need a rest?

“Maybe during the match, the back got worse, this is possible, I don’t know. I want to speak to him. But he didn’t play very well. I know very well this, but I think Alonso knows very well this, also. It can happen. Today we will see the reaction, we will see the situation with the back. For the doctor, the back is better.”

Does Alvaro Morata need tough love or an arm around him?

“I don’t know. I have to understand very well what he needs. But I am available to do everything. But I think that Morata, in the last month, played well. He scored five goals. He needs only continuity, I think. He needs confidence and confidence and confidence. So I think we need only to have continuity in the scoring.”

He seems to be hard on himself when he misses a chance…

“Maybe, maybe. Now he is 25, I think. He can change. But the characteristics of his character are this. So he has only to stay calm because, in the last match, he missed the goal only because he wanted to score too much.”

Do you want David Luiz and Cesc Fabregas to follow Azpilicueta and sign a new deal?

“Si [Yes], I spoke with the club one month ago about this. I know very well that it’s not easy, but I think that we can do a new deal for both.”

Why do you want those two to stay?

“Because they are very important players for us. Because, on the other hand, it’s very difficult to find a centre-back for this level, and it’s very difficult to find a central midfielder technically like Fabregas. And so I think they have to stay with us.”

Is them both being over 30 a concern?

“The deal is very difficult for this reason, I think. Because the club wants a short contract, and the players want a long contract. So it’s difficult for this reason. But I think, at the end, we can find a solution.”

Do you need leaders in the side?

“I think that David and Cesc are leaders. And so I think it’s very important for me, for the staff, and also for their team-mates that they stay with us. I know the difficulties of the new deal, as I said before. The problem is only one year, two years or three/four years for the new contract. But I think the club will be able to find the right solution.”