Maurizio Sarri
From TheChels.info - The Chelsea Football Club Wiki
| Maurizio Sarri | |
| |
| Full Name | Maurizio Sarri |
| Date of Birth | 10 January 1959 |
| Place of Birth | Naples, Italy |
| Chelsea career | 2018-2019 |
| Win percentage | 62% |
| Honours | UEFA Europa League: '19 |
| Other clubs | Stia Faellese Cavriglia Antella Valdema Tegoleto Sansovino Sangiovannese Pescara Arezzo Avellino Hellas Verona Perugia Grosseto Alessandria Sorrento Empoli Napoli Juventus Lazio |
Maurizio Sarri is a former manager of Chelsea. His appointment was confirmed in July 2018 and his tenture began at the start of the 2018-19 season and ended shortly after the end of it. He won the UEFA Europa League during his time at the club.
Contents |
Before Chelsea
Early career
Unusually, he never played professionally—he worked as a banker while playing amateur football as a central defender—before devoting himself fully to coaching in the early 1990s. Sarri’s managerial career began in the lower tiers of Italian football, taking charge of several small clubs while steadily building his reputation. His major breakthrough came with Empoli, where he earned promotion to Serie A in 2014 and then successfully kept the club in the top flight. His success there earned him a move to Napoli in 2015.
In Naples, Sarri developed what came to be known as “Sarrismo”: a fast-paced, possession-oriented style of play based on a 4-3-3 formation, fluid attacking movement, and tactical discipline. His Napoli sides earned widespread praise for their football, often described as among the most attractive in Europe. They broke club records and came close to winning Serie A, finishing runners-up to Juventus in 2017–18. Though silverware eluded him, Sarri won multiple individual awards during this period and became celebrated for his tactical ideas.
Chelsea
Sarri moved abroad in July 2018, becoming Chelsea’s manager. He made a strong start, going unbeaten in his first 12 Premier League matches and quickly implementing his possession-heavy system. His methods were different from his predecessors, and while the team showed flashes of brilliance, there were also moments of tension. The 2019 EFL Cup final against Manchester City became infamous when goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga refused to be substituted in extra time, leading to a very public confrontation with Sarri on the Wembley touchline.
Despite such controversies, Sarri delivered success. In May 2019, Chelsea defeated Arsenal 4–1 in the Europa League final, capping an unbeaten run throughout the competition. The triumph secured Sarri his first major trophy in professional football. However, after one season in London, he chose to leave, citing personal reasons and a desire to return to Italy.
After Chelsea
In 2019, Sarri became manager of Juventus. He guided the Turin club to the Serie A title in his first season, becoming the oldest coach to ever win the Italian championship. The triumph added to his growing list of honours, though Juventus fell short in the Champions League and Coppa Italia. After just one year, Sarri left the club.
Following a short break from management, he was appointed by Lazio in June 2021. He oversaw progress in Rome, guiding the team to European qualification and consolidating their status in the top half of Serie A. After resigning in March 2024, he later returned to Lazio in the summer of 2025, once again taking charge of the club.
Managerial record
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | 38 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 63 | 39 | +24 | 55% |
| FA Cup | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 67% |
| Lg Cup | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 67% |
| Europe | 15 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 34 | 10 | +24 | 80% |
| Other | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0% |
| Total | 63 | 39 | 13 | 11 | 112 | 58 | +54 | 62% |
Honours
| Managers |
|---|
| Robertson (1905–06) • Lewis (1906–07) • Calderhead (1907–33) • Knighton (1933–39) • Birrell (1939–52) Drake (1952–61) • Docherty (1961–67) • Sexton (1967–74) • Suart (1974–75) • McCreadie (1975–77) • Shellito (1977–78) Blanchflower (1978–79) • Hurst (1979–81) • Neal (1981–85) • Hollins (1985–88) • Campbell (1988–91) Porterfield (1991–93) • Webb (1993) • Hoddle (1993–96) • Gullit (1996–98) • Vialli (1998–00) • Ranieri (2000–04) Mourinho (2004–07) • Grant (2007–08) • Scolari (2008–09) • Hiddink (2009) • Ancelotti (2009–11) Villas-Boas (2011–12) • Di Matteo (2012) • Benítez (2012–13) • Mourinho (2013–15) • Hiddink (2015–16) Conte (2016–) |
