Maurizio Sarri: My job is always at risk

Image result for maurizio sarriThe final act does not usually end well for the man sitting in the manager’s office at Stamford Bridge. Maurizio Sarri was in a movie Chelsea watchers have seen before. He admitted that “my job is always at risk” while insisting he did not know whether he was in immediate danger. Allow us to help him. He will be in serious danger, if he is not already, if this carries on.

Chelsea have now dropped to sixth in the Premier League, a point adrift of Manchester United in fourth place, having enjoyed an 11-point advantage when Jose Mourinho left Old Trafford in December. Chelsea lacked heart, fight and any sort of credible game plan from the moment they dozed off at a free-kick in the fourth minute to allow Raheem Sterling to start the rout.

Gonzalo Higuain (right)

 

Sarri’s team have conceded 10 goals without reply in their past two away league games, having lost 4-0 at Bournemouth on 30 January. Chelsea, once a by-word for defensive solidity, conceded all four in the second half against Eddie Howe’s side and four in the first 25 minutes at City.

Sarri had that familiar haunted look, one worn by sacked predecessors such as Luiz Felipe Scolari and Andre Villas-Boas, as he sifted through the carnage of a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City – Chelsea’s heaviest defeat since the 7-0 loss at Nottingham Forest in April 1991.

They were humiliated, embarrassed and outclassed by a team who owner Roman Abramovich would at least expect to challenge. Since the turn of the year, Chelsea have lost away at Arsenal, Bournemouth and now City, shipping 12 goals and scoring none.

They now face a serious fight to make the top four, and Sarri’s job is on the line, especially if he cannot come up with results in the FA Cup fifth round at home to Manchester United and in the Carabao Cup final against City.

Cesar Azpilicueta

It is said the Chelsea manager’s mobile only tends to buzz with messages from Abramovich when things go wrong so Sarri can expect to hear some noises very soon.

Abramovich does not expect Chelsea to be embarrassed. He is not used to it. Sarri is on dangerous ground with results like this. He did not believe motivation was a problem in this thrashing, which suggests the problems run even deeper. If Sarri has a clear message, it does not seem to be transmitting to his players. And much of the embarrassment at Etihad Stadium was down to basic incompetence. This is where it is not all Sarri’s fault. Some of the errors perpetrated by Chelsea should not fall at the feet of the manager because he would not expect them from schoolboys, let alone professionals.

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