Gonzalo Higuain fussed with David Luiz in Chelsea’s final training session because it claimed not to be a starter for the Blues in the Europa League final against Arsenal at the Baku Olympic Stadium on Thursday (30/5).
Chelsea’s preparations ahead of the peak match were suddenly chaotic after Gonzalo Higuain fought with David Luiz during a field test at the Olympic Stadium on Tuesday (28/5).
The commotion arose when Higuain dueled with Luiz for the ball. Because of Higuain’s seemingly rough efforts, Luiz had put his left elbow on the Argentine striker’s neck.
Because of the chaos at the training, Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri was furious. The Italian coach was seen throw and kick the hat he wore before leaving the field.
The Europa League Final can be Sarri’s last match with Chelsea this season. Sarri is widely rumored to be handling Juventus in the next season. Since Chelsea were recruited from Napoli at the start of this season, Sarri won one victory and one defeat in two meetings against Arsenal. It was the first European match between the two biggest clubs in London since the Blues got rid of Arsenal in the 2003/04 Champions League quarterfinals.
The incident on the Chelsea team was highlighted by observers ahead of the Europa League final. Former Chelsea player Eidur Gudjohnsen believes Higuain is acting like that because he feels he will not play as a starter in the final.
“Maybe Higuain knew he would not play. He was frustrated, so there was emotion there,” Gudjohnsen told BT Sport quoted from Express.
In the eyes of Gudjohnsen who once played for Barcelona, clashes between players in the day before the final will give concern to the team.
“There is something that makes the manager very angry in that situation, as you see,” Gudjohnsen said.
The former Iceland national team player did not hesitate to say Chelsea’s last training session was like trash after the commotion between Higuain and Luiz.
“Honestly, I saw training sessions in the last 15-20 minutes like garbage. Wasting time,” said Gudjohnsen.
“The players just stood there, so there was clearly something wrong and ruined the training session,” Gudjohnsen continued.
The problem raised by Higuain is not just this time. Earlier this week before the Blues left for Azerbaijan, Higuain was involved in an argument with the Chelsea coach team. During the training session at Cobham, Higuain was also seen kicking the ball hard as an expression of his anger.