Enough is enough – Chelsea’s best bet of moving forward would be by getting rid of this key figure at Stamford Bridge and here is why

Why it is high time for Chelsea to sack Maurizio Sarri

According to the Mirror, the Chelsea hierarchy are ready to pull the trigger on Maurizio Sarri if the team fail to win the Carabao Cup final against Man City at Wembley on Sunday.

The same report claims that there is growing concern amongst the Chelsea hierarchy regarding the recent sequence of poor results and Sarri’s deteriorating relationship with the fans after the Italian made it clear that he didn’t even care what the fans thought, in wake of the team’s 2-0 defeat to Man United in the FA Cup.

The Sun adds that owner Roman Abramovich is under pressure to sack Sarri and the Italian would receive a £5 million pay off as a part of his severance clause should the Blues issue the marching orders.

Well, few would have imagined that Sarri would be in such a position- on the brink of sack, following an impressive start to the season which saw the Blues enjoy an unbeaten streak of 12 games in the Premier League. However, as harsh and cruel as football can sometimes be, the Italian might be on his way out of Stamford Bridge before the end of the season.

Chelsea do not have the best track record when it comes to retaining managers for stability at the helm of affairs, with Abramovich having already spent a mammoth £89.3 million so far as pay off since taking over in 2003. While there won’t be a shortage of critics to sympathize with Sarri should the Italian get the sack, it also has to be noted that the former Napoli boss has brought about his own downfall with his stubbornness.

From failing to get the best out of the players to going public with his criticism of the team in wake of their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal a few weeks back, Sarri has committed a plethora of blunders over the course of his short stay at Chelsea. There have been plenty of talks about the manager being way too predictable with his team selection, stubborn and rigid with his tactics, playing a superstar like N’Golo Kante out of position etc. but the way he hit back at the players after the defeat to Arsenal was never going to work in his favour.

Sarri pointed to the lack of motivation and determination amongst the players as the cause of the defeat, claiming that the current bunch of players are way too hard to motivate. He further embarrassed the players by accusing them for lack of mental aggressiveness on the pitch.

Although the team silenced the manager’s criticism with a victory against Spurs in the Carabao Cup, it was always going to be difficult for Sarri to defend his tactics in the longer run. While the 4-0 defeat at the hands of Bournemouth was completely unacceptable, the 6-0 hammering against Man City was as humiliating as it has ever got for Chelsea in the past three decades. It wasn’t shameful for the Blues to lose against City but the manner of the defeat was never going to go down well with the fans and the club hierarchy.

It would be fair to say that the Chelsea board has already taken some big steps to make life comfortable for Sarri. He wanted a replacement for Alvaro Morata and the board went against their policy of signing players above 30 to bring in Gonzalo Higuain. The former Napoli boss was also given the nod to bring in Jorginho as a marquee signing last summer for a massive amount of money.

Now, it was wrong for Sarri to expect that Chelsea would fund a move for the entire set of players that he had worked with at Napoli. As a manager, he was supposed to tinker with his tactics and get the best out of his players and instead of accepting responsibility for the team’s poor performances, Sarri has always made an attempt to hide. After criticising the mentality of the players, he went on to make it clear that he didn’t care about what the fans thought about him.

A team comprising of names like N’Golo Kante, Willian, Pedro, Eden Hazard, David Luiz, Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas can never lack the winning mentality. All the aforementioned players have won major silverware at the club and international level, and it is the manager who is to blame if he thinks that the players lack motivation.

The main question is:- How can you expect the team to show intent and purpose on the pitch when the manager is not prepared to try any alternatives to his ‘Sarri Ball’ despite having glaring evidence in front of his eyes that his philosophy isn’t delivering the results. Chelsea would probably have been in a much better position at this point in the season had Sarri been a tactically flexible manager.

Chelsea are in danger of losing out on Champions League football once again next season, and with Sarri at the helm of affairs, it’s not likely that things will change soon. What started as a really promising season for the Blues has fallen apart like a castle of sand. Chelsea need a top-four finish to keep hold of their stars, particularly Eden Hazard, and to do that, they need to battle it out against the likes of Man United and Arsenal.

Undoubtedly, many would still be in favour of Sarri, believing that he can deliver the results provided he is given the time and the right players to build a squad. However, it would be unwise for the Blues to waste their time and financial resources on a manager who doesn’t really care about the fans, who is so stubborn that he thinks there is only one way to play football- ‘ Sarri Ball’.  

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There is a reason why Sarri hasn’t won a trophy so far in his managerial career and it is high time that Chelsea pull the trigger on him. Solskjaer has turned Man United’s fortunes around and Chelsea might as well take a gamble with Frank Lampard to do the same.