Sorry Sarri cryin’ the Blues
Chelsea boss running out of patience after humiliating loss to Bournemouth
BOURNEMOUTH, England — Coach Maurizio Sarri again questioned his ability to motivate Chelsea’s spluttering stars after their embarrassing 4-0 defeat at Bournemouth on Wednesday.
The stunning result at Vitality Stadium ranks as Chelsea’s most lopsided league loss in over 22 years and its fifth in its past 12 Premier League matches.
The Blues have dropped out of the top four — below Arsenal on goals scored — to leave their bid to qualify for the Champions League under severe threat.
And Chelsea boss Sarri, who publicly questioned his side’s desire after the recent loss at Arsenal, conducted a lengthy post-match inquest with his players after asking his backroom staff to leave the dressing room.
The Italian maintained he does not feel under pressure, but said blame for the loss could lie with himself.
“In that moment I wanted to talk with them alone, without anybody else,” he said.
“I needed to understand. It’s impossible to play in such a different way between the first and second half.
“I don’t understand why. I don’t know exactly. I want to try again tomorrow because we want to solve the problem.
“I think the players are good enough. Maybe we are not at the top of the Premier League at the moment, but we are competitive.
“We cannot lose 4-0 against Bournemouth. I want to respect Bournemouth, but it’s impossible to lose 4-0 here.
“Maybe it’s my fault, maybe I’m not able to motivate them. But the team is very strong, it is also able to win without the coach.”
Sarri is facing growing questions about his tactics and motivational ability just halfway through his first season in charge.
The former Napoli boss said he is starting to get annoyed with Chelsea’s inconsistency.
“I feel frustrated; not under pressure. I didn’t see the signal of my work, so I am frustrated,” he said.
Chelsea dominated long periods of the first half, but after conceding Joshua King’s opening goal in the 47th minute had no response as David Brooks doubled the lead in the 63rd minute.
King added a second 11 minutes later, and Charlie Daniels headed the fourth goal in stoppage time.
“What I saw in the first half, there was the possibility to solve the problem,” Sarri said.
“We had 43 minutes still to play, so we could solve the problem. But not with that kind of reaction.
“At the moment, they are able to react very well always against a big team. When we play against a big team, usually we are able to play with a very good level of motivation.
“In the first half, I saw a team with a very good level of motivation and determination. Then, suddenly after the first goal, we were not able to play.”
Fans fuming
The withdrawal of new signing Gonzalo Higuain in the 65th minute prompted chants of ‘You don’t know what you’re doing!’ from the Chelsea supporters.
“We have only to say sorry to our fans. We can lose, of course, in every match, but not in this way,” said Sarri. “We need to solve the problem. We need to understand where the problem is.”
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe revealed his side’s game-plan was to put pressure on Jorginho, Chelsea’s deep-lying midfielder.
“It was something we looked at and planned and David (Brooks, 21) did a brilliant job beyond his years with his diligence, and then showed his class at the other end as well, so I’m pleased for him,” Howe said.
“We knew they’d have more of the ball than we would. They’ve got several world-class players, technically.
“The way their manager plays the game is great to watch. We had to ride that storm, really.
“The way we dealt with (Eden) Hazard, Pedro, Higuain, getting bodies around the ball, tracking runners. We just managed to frustrate them.”