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Gary Breen | Training ground bust-ups are "just part and parcel" of it

On Wednesday morning nearly every back page carried pictures of Maurizio Sarri storming out of Ch...



Gary Breen | Training ground b...
Soccer

Gary Breen | Training ground bust-ups are "just part and parcel" of it

On Wednesday morning nearly every back page carried pictures of Maurizio Sarri storming out of Chelsea's final full-day training session ahead of Wednesday's Europa League final. 

Sarri exited the session after throwing his hat to the floor in a surge of anger following an apparent bust-up between Gonzalo Higuain and David Luiz.

However, rather than this necessarily meaning Chelsea's hopes of victory in the Europa League are diminished due to bad feelings amongst the camp, former Ireland international Gary Breen made the point on Wednesday's OTB AM that training ground bust-ups are "just part and parcel" of football at all levels.

During a press conference earlier in the day Sarri had expressed his love for his players, saying: “In this moment, I love them because I have 20, 22 wonderful men, and wonderful players. So now I am really very happy with them."

And Breen noted that bust-ups and undermining managers is something that "we've seen so often over the years" in the Chelsea dressing room.

When asked if a scenario such as the Chelsea training ground altercation affects things on the pitch, Breen said simply: "They don't."

"I've had it with managers as well, physical confrontations - that's just part and parcel of it."

However, Breen faceted his answer by noting that it could affect things if the issues that led to bust-ups weren't resolved and talked out.

"The big thing is if you can put it to the side or does it just linger. That's the problem you have as a player with other players or your manager. At the time you have something to say, the other person maybe has something to say, so you just need to settle it as quickly as you can."

While it won't be clear whether Sarri has settled his issues with the Chelsea players ahead of Wednesday's game Breen added that Sarri's relationship with the players may not be his biggest hurdle to staying at Chelsea.

"More worryingly", Breen said, "he doesn't seem to have any connection with the supporters."

"They are a club that as supporters are used to being in crisis, they have seen managers come and go but they have just not taken to him one-bit and I can't see this continuing."

"I just think it shows it's not a good marriage", Breen concluded.

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Arsenal Chelsea Europa League Gary Breen Maurizio Sarri