HE LOOKS A BEATEN MAN

AS he disappeared down the tunnel, Maurizio Sarri had the look of a beaten man. Even against a team of Manchester City’s might, Chelsea do not lose 6-0. They do not lose 4-0 to Bournemouth, either, or 2-0 to an Arsenal team beset by defensive issues. It wasn’t that Chelsea gave up at the Etihad or stopped running for their manager. They were simply too predictable. Every time Chelsea made a mistake, City were lying in wait to punish them. There is no variation to Sarri’s tactics. In a game like this, why wasn’t N’Golo Kante asked to play deeper and give Jorginho some support? The Chelsea hierachy hired Sarri because of his style of play but they must be growing increasingly frustrated by his lack of flexibility. They will quickly have to decide whether they back Sarri and give him time to implement his philosophy or say that enough is enough. If they do make a change, though, who do they bring in? Do Chelsea look at Manchester United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and give the job to Gianfranco Zola until the end of the season? I still believe that Sarri deserves another chance but if this defeat is the final straw, he can have no complaints.