Sarri fires parting shot at Hazard

Maurizio Sarri fired a parting shot at Eden Hazard and praised Cristiano Ronaldo during his unveiling as the new Juventus manager.

He faced the media and addressed supporters for the first time yesterday morning in a Press conference.

The 60-year-old, kitted out in a sharp club suit, endeared himself to fans in Turin, but risked further ire of the Chelsea faithful. Sarri made a fascinating dig at former Chelsea winger Eden Hazard, who has since joined Real Madrid.

“In recent years, I’ve had 4-3-3, but the 4-3-3 at Chelsea was very different to the one at Napoli. We had to accompany Eden Hazard’s characteristics, as he could change the game, but also his presence caused issues in defending that we had to work on,” he admitted.

And he went on to add that none of the Chelsea players are of the quality of Cristiano Ronaldo, who will represent a step up in class. “At Chelsea I coached some very strong players, but training Cristiano will be yet another step forward,” he added. “He had made many records. I’d like to help him break some new records.”

Sarri, who later strolled around Allianz Stadium, initially fielded questions from a packed out Press conference and admitted to having his head turned as soon as the Italian giants came calling. — Sky Sports.