Some poor officiating and the head of Ruben Loftus-Cheek saved Maurzio Sarri’s skin on a mostly glum day in the Welsh Capital. The football gods looked down kindly at Chelsea’s under pressure coach to salvage what was looking like a disastrous afternoon that would likely spell the end for the Italian’s reign.
The three points and the small burst of ecstasy from an away end that had spent the afternoon calling for the manager’s head, might have saved Sarri’s skin, but for Chelsea’s board looking down at their employer’s it must have been a worrying sight.
In the pre-amble to the game, Sarri sparked outrage from many corners when responding to a question on Callum Hudson-Odoi’s England call-up. His meek and almost dismissive retort, claiming he’d only seen “25 minutes” brought only more criticism about his misplaced comments which seemed to demean the 18-year-olds incredible week.
With the youth product’s future a 50/50 toss of a coin between staying or leaving, this would’ve not sat well with those at the club putting all their efforts towards keeping the gifted winger at Stamford Bridge.
When team news broke on Sunday an hour before kick-off in Cardiff, more than ever it brought with it another host of negativity, frustration and apathy.
Some poor officiating and the head of Ruben Loftus-Cheek saved Maurzio Sarri’s skin on a mostly glum day in the Welsh Capital. The football gods looked down kindly at Chelsea’s under pressure coach to salvage what was looking like a disastrous afternoon that would likely spell the end for the Italian’s reign.
The three points and the small burst of ecstasy from an away end that had spent the afternoon calling for the manager’s head, might have saved Sarri’s skin, but for Chelsea’s board looking down at their employer’s it must have been a worrying sight.
In the pre-amble to the game, Sarri sparked outrage from many corners when responding to a question on Callum Hudson-Odoi’s England call-up. His meek and almost dismissive retort, claiming he’d only seen “25 minutes” brought only more criticism about his misplaced comments which seemed to demean the 18-year-olds incredible week.
With the youth product’s future a 50/50 toss of a coin between staying or leaving, this would’ve not sat well with those at the club putting all their efforts towards keeping the gifted winger at Stamford Bridge.
When team news broke on Sunday an hour before kick-off in Cardiff, more than ever it brought with it another host of negativity, frustration and apathy.
Coupled with his dismissal of Hudson-Odoi’s continued rise, which will clearly have a negative effect on the youngster’s morale, and the ever growing animosity and abuse from many quarters of the fanbase towards him, Sarri’s tenure looks to be on thin ice.
His decision making appears to be getting worse and that must make higher-ups take stock of the current situation. No matter which way you try and spin it, Chelsea are on shaky grounds at the moment, in all facets.
Tickets for Wednesday nights league encounter with Brighton are still on general sale, which is simply unheard of at a club like Chelsea and from a PR standpoint, not matter what way you spin it, is damming on the current leadership.
Unless the 60-year-old accepts criticism and begins to let his stubbornness go, there won’t be many left who will sympathise with him if he is shown the door in the near future.