Chelsea’s FA Cup exit has raised questions about Maurizio Sarri’s future at the club. The Italian has been quite unimpressed by what he is seeing from his players on the pitch in the last few weeks. The team has been inconsistent over the course of last month. Sarri-ball, which was flying high at the start of the season, suddenly looks blown away. With each and every game, the problems keep getting worse for Sarri and his men. The manager is not the only one to be blamed for Chelsea’s misery. Even if the tactics are wrong, the players do not seem willing to give 100% for their club. Currently, Chelsea’s situation is like a ship that is sinking in the ocean of misery.
The Future of Sarri-Ball at Chelsea
Miseries All Over at Chelsea
Defensively, Chelsea have been miserable; it seems as if they will concede every time they face an attack. The centre-back pairing of Antonio Rudiger and David Luiz gets exposed too easily as the two full backs are often seen out of position, especially Marcos Alonso who, on the left side of the pitch, has been Chelsea’s weak link at the back throughout this season. Although Alonso is a big attacking threat from the left-side, defensively he adds to the mess. Cesar Azpellicueta is also far from his best. The defender, who signed a new contract earlier this season, has been inconsistent at right-back this campaign.
Midfielder Jorginho seems too slow for the Premier League and has been caught ball-watching many times this season. Arguably the best defensive midfielder in the world, N’Golo Kante, is not played in his preferred position by Sarri. Yet, Kante has been Chelsea’s best player this season. Midfielders Ross Barkley, Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have had their own problems with inconsistency and injuries.
On the attacking side, new striker Gonzalo Higuain is yet to fully settle in after arriving on loan from Juventus. Eden Hazard has lost his spark and just seems like an ordinary attacker now every time he plays for Chelsea. Pedro and Willian have been criticized heavily for their poor goal-scoring form. Youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi has shown his disinterest in playing for the club by sending in a transfer request while Oliver Giroud has still not opened his account in the Premier League this season.
Fixing Sarri-Ball
To regain defensive stability, Sarri should use a ball-playing defender and play Andreas Christensen instead. Christensen has had some good games for Chelsea under Sarri and has the potential to be one of the club’s best defenders. For solving the full-back problem, the Italian should consider putting Kante in his favourable position to shield the centre-backs and free the full-backs. Jorginho should play alongside Kante in a ‘Fabregas’ role rather than a textbook defensive midfielder. The third midfielder should be played in a box-to-box role, something Mateo Kovacic could perform. While, on the striking side, Hazard should play as a second striker just behind Higuain which will increase their chances of scoring.
Unless the players start giving their all for the club, nothing can get Chelsea out of this misery. The players need to stand up for their manager. The fans need to show their support. They need to go out there early for every home game and scream loud in support of Sarri, the players and, more importantly, the club. The fans, the players, the manager are all in this together and should fight back together to steady Chelsea’s sinking ship and fix it.
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