Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri tells Ruben Loftus-Cheek he needs to be tactically better if he is to make the first team
Loftus-Cheek was called up to Gareth Southgate's England squad despite not starting in a single Premier League game this season
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Maurizio Sarri has told Ruben Loftus-Cheek he must get used to his tactics quickly but insists he will be “very important” for Chelsea.
The England midfielder has played just 22 minutes for his club this season prompting his national manager Gareth Southgate to talk about how concerned he was with the lack of game time for his international players so far.
Sarri has not allowed Loftus-Cheek to leave on loan but is adamant he will be part of his plans going forward.
“I can say that I am really very happy with him because, in the last 10 days, he has improved a lot,” said the Italian. “So we're really very happy with him.
“I think that he will be important for sure. Starting in September, we will play every three days, so Loftus will be very important and useful for us.
“I think he is pushing for a tarr. It's not easy to play here, because here there are 20, 25 very good players, so it's not easy to play in the starting XI, but I think if he will improve more, he is ready to play from the beginning.
“He has to improve, just in order to play my football. He has great qualities from a physical point of view, and technical point of view. I think he needs to improve from the tactical point of view, nothing else.”
Sarri has dismissed Southgate’s concerns believing that many English players have not played much because they are still easing their way back into club football following a gruelling June and July.
“These English players were in the World Cup and returned at the beginning of August, so it's normal they haven't played in August,” he said.
“Is it harder for English players to play for big clubs in the Premier League? I answered the same question in Italy: why is it so difficult for Italian players to play at the big clubs in Italy? I think it's normal. It's difficult to play here, difficult to play in Juventus, because in this club there are 27 or 28 great players. So it's difficult.”
Sarri has revealed that Tammy Abraham, heavily linked with Aston Villa, could leave Chelsea today on loan but the decision on whether he moves is down to him.
“I think that we don't need anything at the moment,” said Sarri. “Out, I don't know. I don't know. Maybe Tammy. It's up to him.
“I am not able to guarantee to him a spot at the moment, but if he wants to remain, I'm really very happy with him. He's very young for a striker, and can improve more. I think it's up to him.”
It has been the perfect start at Chelsea for Sarri who has victories in his first three Premier League games for the club ahead of Saturday’s home game with Bournemouth, something that has led to him being nominated for manager of the month.
“I'm very happy with nine points in three matches, but I think also that the table now is not so important,” he said. “Now it's important to work and improve more. We have the potential to improve more.”
Cesc Fabregas will remain sidelined with a knee problem but no further injuries have been reported.
“Cesc is still out,” said Sarri. “Actually, he is working in water. We hope that next week he will be able to work on the pitch, I think. I am sure the injury is not serious, but he has pain out of his knee.
“So it's a bit strange, but nothing serious. The pain is still there, so for him, now, it's impossible to run on the pitch. He's only able to run in water.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments