John
Terry feels Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri is in a "tough place" after the
farcical substitution incident with Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Sarri appeared to be overruled by his own goalkeeper Arrizabalaga during a
remarkable and bizarre finish to Chelsea's Carabao Cup final defeat to
Manchester City.
With the game goalless and deep into extra-time, Kepa seemed to be
struggling with cramp and Sarri readied substitute 'keeper Willy Caballero
to come on for the final moments and the approaching penalty shootout.
However, when Chelsea went to make the substitution, Kepa refused to come
off the pitch and insisted he was fit to continue, despite Sarri trying to
complete the change regardless and imploring his player to leave the field
from the touchline.
Pressure is growing on the Italian head coach, who has only been in charge
of the club since the summer.
Terry admits this latest situation leaves Sarri in a difficult situation.
"It leaves Sarri in a tough place - I'm surprised he didn't force him to
come off," he told Sky Sports.
"It will be interesting how it pans out in the next 24 hours for the club.
"It's not the end of it - it's a cloud over a really good Chelsea
performance especially with what's happened of late, as the results and
performances haven't been good enough. It's disappointing - let's see what
happens now."
He added: "If I was in there [dressing room] I'd be expecting the manager to
come in and deal with it instantly."
Sarri described the incident as a "misunderstanding" in his post-match
interview and seemed to play it down.
Chelsea are back in action on Wednesday against Tottenham which Terry feels
is a benefit to the club in order to put the unfortunate situation to bed.
"The Spurs game on Wednesday is a massive game for the football club - what
it means for the supporters and the players," he said.
"If there was a long break between the games this could drag on but it's not
going to as we can see if Kepa plays in the next game.
"If you were a player in the dressing room you'd be thankful there's another
game in quick succession and to move on from it."
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