Cape Town - David Luiz has described Maurizio Sarri as a 'great human' and praised the Chelsea boss for sticking to his footballing principles.
Blues head coach Sarri came under intense pressure last month following a string of poor performances and humiliating Premier League defeats at Bournemouth and Manchester City.
The 60-year-old Italian was criticised for his possession-based “Sarri-ball' style of play and repetitive substitutions, but has since improved the club's fortunes.
“You don't change your character because of the situation, I think you change the situation,' said Luiz, ahead of tonight's Europa League last-16 first-leg clash with Dynamo Kiev.
“He's a great human, someone with the love and passion for football, someone loving with people and trying to help everybody, and trying to give the best advice.
“When you lose a game, like we did in Manchester (6-0), no one is going to be happy and coming here joking around.
“He's a real person, and real people have feelings good and bad.”