Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri was swift to point the finger of blame at his underperforming players in the wake of Saturday's humbling 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League and it was a move that caused a bit of a stir.
Chelsea's players haven't always been known to appreciate such criticism from their manager as so-called 'player power' has led to the demise of the likes of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte in recent times. Was Sarri right to slam his underperforming Chelsea squad?
Former Liverpool legend, Steve Nicol, is having none of it. The former midfield maestro, who made 343 appearances for the Reds, reckons the Chelsea manager needs to look a little closer to home, or resign!
Speaking in ESPN, Nicol unleashed a remarkable rant (you can see the video in full at the bottom of this article):
Do you know what? Resign.
If you're telling me you can't motivate your players, then get out. You're in the wrong job.
Sarri said after the defeat to Arsenal that this current crop of Chelsea players are difficult to motivate, although Nicol was again having none of that.
Don't come out with all of this nonsense. Half of your job is to motivate your team.
Nicol continued: "Do you see Liverpool not motivated? Or Manchester City?
Chelsea's recent results under Sarri have been relatively poor as they have won just six of their last twelve league outings to fall of the pace in the title race, while also opening the door for Manchester United and Arsenal to challenge for that all-important fourth spot in the table.
Nicol believes Sarri should be doing more to turn things around at Stamford Bridge.
'It's not my fault'. That's what he [Sarri] is saying. Away you go, that's garbage.
It is fair to say Nicol pulled no punches in his assessment of Sarri's post-match interview!
Steve Nicol wants Maurizio Sarri to step down if he's struggling to motivate Chelsea's players.
