Sarri needs to learn – but so do the club
Chelsea wanted entertainment and Sarri fitted the bill but stong minds are now needed as things unravel
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, who he has deputed to run Chelsea, 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, frankly, 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 moved on, not least with Abu Dhabi’s ownership of City.
These are painful times for Chelsea, and, given their past history, the intolerance they have shown to 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.
Legitimate
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, 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 that 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.
They have to give it time but there is an immediate threat: the next two weeks, which feel critical for Sarri. History shows it 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 Premier 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 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 football at present. The persistent use of Jorginho as a midfield pivot, when he needs to be rested, and the dislodgement of N’Golo Kante seems particularly misguided.
There is also the 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.
That is not Sarri’s fault but he Sarri has to learn, quickly, and not least from Sunday’s debacle.
But he also has to be helped. Otherwise, why hire him in the first place? (© Daily Telegraph, London)