Maurizio Sarri starts off his Chelsea tenure with an easy victory as N'Golo Kante, Jorginho and Pedro all got on the scoresheet. Maurizio Sarri starts off his Chelsea tenure with an easy victory as N'Golo Kante, Jorginho and Pedro all got on the scoresheet. Maurizio Sarri starts off his Chelsea tenure with an easy victory as N'Golo Kante, Jorginho and Pedro all got on the score sheet. Maurizio Sarri starts off his Chelsea tenure with an easy victory as N'Golo Kane, Jorginho and Pedro all got on the scoresheet. Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri doesn't want to turn his new side into Napoli 2.0. Following a win in their opener against Huddersfield, Craig Burley reveals the key areas Chelsea will need to focus on to ensure a top-four finish. Following a win in their opener against Huddersfield, Craig Burley reveals the key areas Chelsea will need to focus on to ensure a top-four finish.
HUDDERSFIELD, England -- Willian said there is no chance he would still be at Chelsea if Antonio Conte remained the manager.
Willian caused a stir in the wake of Chelsea's FA Cup final triumph in May by posting a team celebration picture on his Instagram account in which Conte was obscured by trophy emojis -- though he later told ESPN Brasil that his daughter was responsible for the edit on the image.
He also said Conte had been very difficult to work with, and speculation that he might leave Chelsea rumbled on throughout the summer with Barcelona and Manchester United both harbouring serious interest in signing him. Speaking after Chelsea's 3-0 win over Huddersfield Town, though, Willian was adamant that his future lies at Stamford Bridge.
"I'm here," Willian said. "I'm here because I want to play for Chelsea. I will only leave if Chelsea want me to go."
Asked if he would still be a Chelsea player if Conte had remained, Willian replied: "No chance. No chance. No."
The early signs are that Willian will enjoy a prominent role under Sarri, having started the first game on Saturday and created the opening goal for N'Golo Kante with a cross from the left wing.
"We are just in the beginning," he said. "We know we have to improve. Jorginho has played very well. He has a lot of quality and helps our play build up from the back. I think we played very well.
"Now we have to continue like that because next week, we have a great game to play against Arsenal [on Saturday] and we want to win again."
Willian stayed at Chelsea this summer despite interest from Barcelona and Manchester United.
Arsenal proved difficult opponents in Conte's two seasons as head coach, with Chelsea winning just one of eight matches against them in all competitions.
But with Sarri in charge, Willian is confident that they can regain the upper hand on their London rivals.
"I think so because now we have a different profile of football, a different way to play football," Willian said. "The manager tells us to play, to enjoy ourselves on the pitch -- with responsibility. Now I think we have a different style to play and that's why we can create problems for Arsenal.
"We have a lot of players with quality up front, players like Eden [Hazard] and Pedro. Players like that want to play football, no? That's why [Sarri] talked about 'fun' football because he wants to build from the back. This is what we will try to do this season."
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Source: espn.co.uk