Mateo Kovacic has hit out at former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri over his ‘monotonous’ training sessions.
Sarri signed the 25-year-old on loan from Real Madrid in 2018, with the deal made permanent for £40million a year later.
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The Italian coach won the Europa League in his only season at Stamford Bridge, but came under fire from a section of Chelsea fans for his dull playing style.
And Kovacic has revealed he was not a fan of Sarri’s training methods, while hailing the impact of current Blues boss Frank Lampard and comparing him to Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane.
He told FourFourTwo: “I came to Chelsea under Sarri, but I must say that Lampard is an exceptional manager.
“He has kept the character he had as a player in his personality as a coach, which has inspired all of us.
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“He commits himself with everything he’s got. Training is always challenging and different from last season.
“That’s probably the main difference between Lampard and Sarri, who made the concept of training quite monotonous.
“There were a lot of similar training sessions with a focus on tactical preparation.
“Zidane was similar to the way Frank Lampard is a coaching, and their approaches really suit.”
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Sarri left Chelsea last summer to be appointed Juventus manager, and he’s currently on course to guide the Old Lady to another Serie A title.
Kovacic’s form has improved under Lampard and he has been preferred to vice-captain Jorginho at times this season.
The Croatia midfielder has made 32 appearances so far this term, scoring once and registering three assists.