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Sarri state of affairs: Chelsea face crunch United clash
LONDON, Feb 17, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Maurizio Sarri will be fighting to save
his job when crisis club Chelsea face Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth
round on Monday.
Sarri is in danger of being sacked after a dismal first season at Stamford
Bridge and crashing out of the FA Cup would push the Italian closer to the
axe.
Chelsea suffered their heaviest defeat for 28 years when they were
thrashed 6-0 at Manchester City last weekend, an indignity that came just
weeks after a humiliating 4-0 loss at Bournemouth.
Amid claims Sarri has lost the support of his players, the former Napoli
boss held clear-the-air talks this week in a bid to convince the squad to
stick with him.
It is not the first time he has challenged Chelsea’s stars after accusing
them of being hard to motivate, questioning their mental strength and
claiming they don’t understand even the basics of his game plan.
Sarri’s players are said to be unhappy with the Italian’s uninspiring
training methods and refusal to adapt his tactics to the players he has at
his disposal.
Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso and N’Golo Kante are all being asked to
perform roles that are ill-suited to their strengths and so far Sarri’s
lengthy debriefs have had made little difference.
While ‘Sarri-ball’ was a big hit with Napoli, Chelsea have looked laboured
for much of this season, struggling for cohesion in midfield and lacking
cutting edge up front.
Demanding Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and influential director Marina
Granovskaia are unlikely to spare Sarri unless results and performances
improve soon.
That means Sarri must lift Chelsea — beaten in seven of their last 22
games — back into the Premier League’s top four and keep them on course for
silverware.
They are still in the Europa League, having beaten Malmo in the last 32
first leg on Thursday, and face Manchester City in the League Cup final next
Sunday.
But first Sarri must focus on United’s visit to the Bridge as holders
Chelsea look to move closer to a third successive FA Cup final appearance.
“We know it’s a crucial moment. We have some very important matches. The
first will be United. It’s very challenging,” Sarri’s assistant Gianfranco
Zola said.
– Call for unity –
Responding to the mounting sense of gloom around Chelsea, Zola called on
his squad to pull together.
“Nobody is pleased when you lose games the way we did recently. Not only
the players, but the coaches and everyone,” he said.
“It’s a moment when we’ve been alternating the results, going from one
good performance to a bad one.
“We have to be consistent. We all know this, and it’s important everyone
understands the situation and is working on it.
“This is important. The unity facing the challenge will make the
difference.”
United were beaten by Chelsea in last season’s final, but much has changed
at Old Trafford since May.
Jose Mourinho was sacked in December and his replacement Ole Gunnar
Solskjaer had overseen a remarkable turnaround as interim boss.
Solskjaer went unbeaten in his first 11 games in all competitions, lifting
United above Chelsea into the top four.
But their momentum stalled in a big way on Tuesday when Paris Saint
Germain won 2-0 in the Champions League last 16, first leg in Manchester.
United’s attempt to get back on track has been hit by injuries to Anthony
Martial and Jesse Lingard, who are both out for up to three weeks.
Solskjaer expects a strong response despite those key absences, saying: “I
hate losing games and it seems like the boys hate losing games.
“There’s no point dwelling on it because there are big games against good
teams coming up. We need to dust ourselves down and get going again on
Monday.
“You’ve got to bounce back at this club. You don’t panic because you’ve
lost a game, you don’t change everything. It doesn’t change the mindset at
all.”
BSS/AFP/MSY/0836 hrs