Chelsea could sack Maurizio Sarri during the international break following another meager display against Everton today. Chelsea manager Sarri is understood to be under pressure in west London after a disappointing first season in charge. The Blues are struggling to land a top-four finish in the Premier League and look set to go without a trophy this season - unless they win the Europa League.
Former Napoli boss Sarri was only appointed back in the summer when Chelsea paid £4.4m to acquire him. They also sacked Antonio Conte at an estimated cost of £9m. But trigger-happy Roman Abramovich might now use the international break as space to sack Sarri and bring in a new manager.
And it could well be a smart move for the Blues were they to ditch Sarri now. Chelsea’s side has appeared in disarray for much of the season under the Italian manager - and they lost 2-0 at Everton today to pile more pressure on the boss. After the match, Sarri was asked what happened in the second half.
"I don't know and the players don't know what happened in the second half," he said. "I cannot explain it. We played the best first half in the season and we could have scored four or five and then suddenly we stopped playing. "It's very strange and we stopped to defend and counter-attack.
"We were in control of the match and we played very well so we needed to continue but we didn't defend at the start of the second half. We changed the system but it was the same. "The problem was mental on the pitch, so the system and the tactics are not important. "It wasn't about motivation because we started very well. We have to play eight matches now and we have to fight for our possibilities."
A failure to get to grips with ‘Sarri-ball’ has come alongside an over-reliance on Eden Hazard to provide the goals. Sarri ditched Alvaro Morata in January and brought in Gonzalo Higuain in an effort to bolster the Blues’ attacking prowess. But Higuain’s arrival has done little to transform this side which at times has looked rudderless this season.
Sarri himself has already admitted he is struggling to motivate his players. And the Blues are in no position to sell half the squad and rebuild under Sarri now they have a transfer ban hanging over them. The ban, which runs for the next two transfer windows, means Sarri must work with what he’s got - plus Christian Pulisic in the summer - between now and summer 2020. But the manager may not be given that much time to sort out the issue.
Owner Abramovich is well known for his willingness to sack managers in an instant. Roberto Di Matteo and Jose Mourinho both lasted only a short time into a season, having won major trophies in the previous campaign. Andre Villas-Boas and Luiz Felipe Scolari have been two other early casualties of the Abramovich era. And plenty of Blues fans on social media want Sarri gone too.
One fan tweeted: “If Sarri doesn't win this, then he shouldn't still be #CFC Manager after the international break.” Another fan wrote: “Sarri needs f****** off. He needed f****** off in February. A new manager in after the international break.” A third put: “Abrahmovic please sack sarri tonight!!!” And a fourth wrote: “If they don’t sack Sarri after this match let me know what’s wrong with this Chelsea board.”
But who could Chelsea get in if they did sack Maurizio Sarri?
Jose Mourinho is available but the ex-Chelsea boss has burned his bridges there. Antonio Conte is also unlikely to come back to Stamford Bridge. Laurent Blanc is out of work but may not want to take up the job knowing Chelsea are under a transfer embargo for the next 18 months.
Indeed, that could well be a problem for Abramovich if he decides to axe Sarri. For many of Europe’s top bosses may not want to join a club that cannot sign any players in the summer or next January. Steve Holland or Gianfranco Zola, therefore, appear viable options. Holland - the current England assistant manager - has coached at Chelsea before. And Zola is the current assistant under Sarri.
Stakegains Accurate Football Predictions...
