Maurizio Sarri says he does not regret never being a footballer, because he thinks his experience in other fields has helped him as a manager.
The former banker says working in finance has given him communication skills for his players - and ensures he knows how to organise.
Sarri is similar to one of his key influences as a manager in that regard, in Arrigo Sacchi, as the former Milan manager didn’t have a history as a player either.
With Sarri’s Chelsea facing Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in a meeting of two purist coaches this Sunday, the Stamford Bridge boss described Sacchi as “the father of four football”.
The three meet for dinner every summer. Sacchi won two European Cups with Milan and revitalised pressing football in the late 1980s, having previously worked his way up in part-time coaching while working as a shoe salesman.
That example is one other reason why Sarri has never felt out of place, despite his own distinctive past.
Asked he ever wished he had been a top player, Sarri said: “No. Because I did something else and I think that the other jobs then helped me in this one.
“Because I know more. I am able to organise my time, I am able to organise my job, I am able to speak to my players. I don’t know if I were a professional player, if now I [would be] able to know everything.”
It means he doesn’t feel out of place in his famous dinners with Guardiola and Sacchi either.
“I feel normal. Usually, we go to Arrigo Sacchi, so it’s very interesting when you can listen to Arrigo speaking about football. I think he is the father of our football, of the football of Guardiola, of my football. So I think for us it’s very important to listen.”
