Manager needs to learn from mistakes – and the club must support him
Chelsea must be careful with Sarri given how quickly problems tend to unravel at the Bridge
There are two lessons that Maurizio Sarri should take from Chelsea’s shocking defeat at Manchester City if he wants to keep his job: do not embarrass Roman Abramovich with such a scoreline again, and do not compound that by saying: “If the president calls, I’ll be happy, seeing as I never hear from him. To be honest, I don’t know what to expect.”
Except Sarri should have known exactly what to expect when he became Chelsea’s 11th different manager, with two spells for Jose Mourinho and Guus Hiddink, in the 16 years since the Russian billionaire bought the club and changed the landscape of English football.
Abramovich, or rather Marina Granovskaia, whom he has deputed to run Stamford Bridge, also wanted Sarri to change the landscape of the club – which is not the first time a manager has been asked to do so, and it has never ended well.
Just ask Luiz Felipe Scolari (seven months in charge), Andre Villas-boas (eight) or, even Carlo Ancelotti. All were not just ordered to win but to give Abramovich the fun football he craved, to move away from the functionality and friction of Mourinho – until Abramovich decided he only wanted to win again and turned to a more modern version of Mourinho in Antonio Conte.
It was telling that when Sarri was hired last summer, there was a reference in the official announcement to the “scintillating brand of expansive, attacking football” his Napoli side played, with Granovskaia hailing his “attacking approach and dynamism”.
Little of that was in evidence at the Etihad Stadium, not in Chelsea blue anyway, and it will hurt Abramovich – and more immediately Granovskaia – that Pep Guardiola, the man they courted for so long and to whom, at one time, they effectively offered a blank cheque, was in the home dugout. Guardiola will always be the one that got away for Chelsea. But Guardiola was too canny to go there, knowing that, whatever his reputation, he would not necessarily be given time, and that the landscape of the Premier League had changed, not least with Abu Dhabi’s ownership of City.
These are painful times for Chelsea, and, given their history, the intolerance they have shown towards underachievement and embarrassment, it is inevitable not only that Sarri is asked about whether he will be sacked but that there is an expectation he will go.
Sarri did not help himself. Not with the result or the performance or the post-match reference to Abramovich, who has moved into a different phase of his ownership, which is leading to legitimate questions as to whether he intends to carry on much longer or, at least, whether he is considering selling a chunk of the club.
But the bigger question concerning Sarri is this: Did Chelsea not know what to expect when they decided to hire him in the first place? They appeared to do so in their announcement, but is there a real desire to afford him time and support? Do Chelsea have the courage? It was always a bold decision and the fact that Chelsea’s football has regressed after an impressive start to the campaign, does not help the Italian’s prospects.
But where do Chelsea go from here? The most obvious thing to do is to promote his assistant, Gianfranco Zola, and Chelsea may well be influenced by what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has achieved with Manchester United. But surely they should hold their nerve and decide how best they can support Sarri?
They have to give it time, but there is an immediate threat – the next two weeks, which feel critical. History shows that the situation can unravel quickly at Chelsea – and that looks to be happening again. Their fate in three competitions may be decided before they play again in the league – and that is a taxing fixture against Tottenham Hotspur.
Before then, Chelsea are away to Malmo in the Europa League on Thursday, at home to Manchester United in the FA Cup on Monday, then face Malmo at home next Thursday before the Carabao Cup final against City a week on Sunday. If their form does not improve, the familiar ticker of “Chelsea in crisis” will reappear.
Sarri has made significant mistakes and the tag of “Sarri-ball” has become a label for criticism, especially as Chelsea are far from playing any kind of identifiable brand of football at present. The persistent use of Jorginho as a midfield pivot, when he needs to be rested, and the use of N’golo Kante seem particularly misguided.
Chelsea will also be frustrated by the way Sarri has talked about Eden Hazard, almost ushering him out of the door, and while the manager cannot be blamed entirely for Callum Hudson-odoi’s desire to leave for Bayern Munich, there is a sense that he does not trust youth.
Andreas Christensen, Ruben Loftus-cheek and Ethan Ampadu do not feel important, while Reece James and Mason Mount are among the loan army.
There is also a sense that Chelsea players who leave are replaced by downgrades: whether that is Alvaro Morata for Diego Costa, Antonio Rudiger for John Terry or, as seems likely, Christian Pulisic for Hazard. But that is not Sarri’s fault.
Chelsea do have an opportunity this summer to reshape their squad and maybe give Sarri the backing he needs – but he also has to respond, not least by showing that he is prepared to back youth and promote the likes of James and Mount. David Luiz is out of contract, Pedro and Willian have one year left. Changes can be made, while deadwood players such as Danny Drinkwater and Davide Zappacosta can be cut.
Sarri has to learn and not least from Sunday’s debacle. But he also has to be helped. Otherwise, why hire him in the first place?