Maurizio Sarri Frustrated by Smoking Ban as Chelsea Tasked With Finding Spot for Italian to Spark Up
Chelsea may have made an impressive start to their Premier League campaign on Saturday, but their manager Maurizio Sarri looked rather less comfortable than befitted his side's 3-0 away win over Huddersfield Town.
The Italian was spotted chewing a cigarette during the clash with the Terriers, as British anti-smoking laws mean he can no longer light up on the touchline - which he regularly did in his Napoli days.
According to the Mirror, this means Chelsea need to find a smoking area for Sarri at Stamford Bridge within the next three weeks.
According to those who know him well, Sarri smokes 80 cigarettes a day, so it will clearly be difficult for him to abstain from smoking during matches.
Chelsea wouldn't be the first club to designate a special smoking area for Sarri. According to Bild, Bundesliga side RB Leipzig actually made a smoking room especially for him when they hosted his Napoli side in last season's Europa League round of 32 in February, although I Ciucciarelli reportedly paid for the room.
The 59-year-old could have been forgiven for lighting up on that occasion as his side came agonisingly close to eliminating the Germans, winning 2-0 on the night but bowing out on away goals after a 3-1 home defeat.
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At least the Huddersfield clash was no great source of stress for him, as goals from N'Golo Kante, Jorginho and Pedro gave the Blues a deserved victory over the lacklustre Terriers.
Both the margin and nature of Chelsea's win will surely be a source of great encouragement for Sarri, although he will be only too aware that tougher tests lie ahead. His side's 2-0 defeat by Manchester City in the Community Shield was more emphatic than the scoreline suggests, and it will take time for the Blues to adapt to Sarri's energetic brand of attacking football.
