Maurizio Sarri has been left in a fragile situation at Chelsea after Kepa Arrizabalaga’s act of defiance in their League Cup final defeat against Manchester City, according to Jose Mourinho.
The club’s £70 million ($91m) record-breaking signing refused to be substituted for Willy Caballero in extra-time, despite pulling up twice with a physical issue towards the end of the contest.
Mourinho offered his take on the Kepa incident in the wake of the match on DAZN , revealing he has never experienced anything like it as a manager himself.
The former Manchester United and Chelsea coach also admitted he now fears for Sarri’s position at Stamford Bridge, as he stated: “Luckily I never had to live through anything like this.
“I think on the one hand the goalkeeper wants to show his personality, his confidence and wants to say ‘I’m here, I want to go to penalties and save them, and I am here with the confidence that I will go and do it’. And this is what I like.
“But then I don’t really like that he [Kepa] leaves the manager, the coaches and everyone else in a very fragile situation, also including one of his own team-mates who was ready to enter the pitch.