Sarri still has respect of Chelsea players after Kepa incident, says Luiz

David Luiz says Kepa Arrizabalaga's refusal to be substituted during the League Cup final against Manchester City does not show that Maurizio Sarri has lost the respect of his Chelsea players.

Sarri's position is precarious after a run of poor results but his team put in a valiant performance in Sunday's match against City, who had beaten the Blues 6-0 just two weeks earlier.

City retained the trophy with a 4-3 penalty shootout win at Wembley, but the match was overshadowed by a bizarre incident when Kepa declined to go off, sparking an angry response from the manager.

The Italian coach and Kepa later said the incident was the result of a misunderstanding and Luiz was adamant the players are on Sarri's side.

"The coach has the power over the group. He has our respect," Luiz said.

"For me, there is not a problem here for that. We all believe in his philosophy, we all believe in the way he wants us to play.

"That's why we did a great game against the best team in Europe at the moment. Apart from that, it was a misunderstanding and we all want to do what is best for Chelsea."
"The board has to say something because it is really, really important that the players respect the coach and respect each other. Something shouldn't happen like that."