MANCHESTER (United Kingdom): Chelsea are making a nasty habit of breaking records for the wrong reasons under Maurizio Sarri, with time running out for the Italian to avoid becoming the latest coaching casualty at Stamford Bridge.
A 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City on Sunday was Chelsea’s heaviest defeat since 1991.
Just 11 days previously, an embarrassing 4-0 loss at Bournemouth had set the bar at a new low in the Roman Abramovich era.
The Russian billionaire, who bought the club in 2003, is not renowned for his patience with managers once the rot sets in and just eight months into a three-year contract, Sarri could soon find himself on the Chelsea scrapheap.
Even winning league titles was not enough to save Carlo Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho or Antonio Conte from Abramovich’s firing line and the gulf between Chelsea and City on Sunday showed just how far Sarri’s side are from the Premier League’s best right now.
The scale of the defeat also dropped Chelsea below Arsenal down to sixth on goals scored.
However, while the title may be gone, there is still plenty to play for in the remaining months of the season, so do Chelsea stick by keeping faith with the ‘Sarri-ball’ project or twist hoping for the bounce of a new face in charge?
Despite a run of six defeats in 14 league games, an excellent start to Sarri’s reign means Chelsea are just one point behind a surging Manchester United – who have shown the impact a new manager can make – in the battle for a top-four finish.
They also face United in the fifth round of the FA Cup next Monday, have the onerous task of taking on City again in the League Cup final on February 24 and face Malmo in the last 32 when the Europa League returns this week.
Unfortunately for Sarri’s job prospects, the reaction, or lack thereof, to his public lambasting of his side’s soft mentality and motivation after a 2-0 defeat at Arsenal last month has been telling.- AFP
