Under-pressure manager buys himself more time with passage through to the last 16 of the Europa LeagueAfter the tumultuous week he has endured, you cannot blame Maurizio Sarri for taking just about anything right now. Three days on from his side’s meek surrender in the FA Cup fifth-round tie against Manchester United, the embattled Chelsea manager arrived here knowing that anything less than a smooth progression to the last 16 of Europe’s secondary club competition was likely to spell the end of his reign.That scenario, at least, was averted as second-half goals from Olivier Giroud, Ross Barkley and Callum Hudson‑Odoi eased Chelsea’s passage through the Europa Cup against opponents who never gave up hope that they might rescue something from...
Maurizio Sarri is serving up predictable, sterile football and some choices are hard to fathom but Chelsea share the blame for this messChelsea fans don’t often turn on their manager. They don’t usually have time. But there, distinct in the cool February air, just six days before they play in a cup final, it was: “Fuck Sarri-ball! Fuck Sarri-ball! Fuck Sarri-ball!” Add in the booing at the final whistle and the chants for Callum Hudson‑Odoi throughout the second half and it’s fair to say the Matthew Harding Stand has made its mind up about Maurizio Sarri.Fans are not always right, of course, as a notorious Old Trafford bedsheet of the late 80s makes clear, and boards must make their own...
The French maestro’s personality now seems so reassuring for United that previous suspicion of it looks madnessOn nights like this it makes no sense at all to think a manager would not search high and low for the key to Paul Pogba and then turn it to the fullest degree. The slow-burning intensity of this FA Cup tie was wrapped up in the chasing and harrying, the bundling challenges and hopeful pot-shots, until Pogba suddenly elevated himself, the game, and Manchester United’s vibrant Cup run.In a 14-minute spell at the end of the first half they carved out an unassailable lead thanks to the blend of vision, technical precision and physical force that is Pogba at his swaggering best. First,...
The clubs are meeting in the FA Cup’s tie of the round after sobering defeats last weekThe fast-moving world of football has managed to overtake what promised to be an FA Cup treat at Stamford Bridge on Monday night. When the draw was made, Chelsea’s pairing with Manchester United was the obvious fifth-round highlight, but that was before both clubs suffered chastening setbacks.Chelsea suffered their heaviest defeat of the Premier League era at the hands of Manchester City last Sunday, a 6-0 thrashing that left Maurizio Sarri in a state of shock. It is highly unlikely that Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s United will be quite so ruthless and relentless, though with a Carabao Cup final against City due at the end...
For the Italian to work as manager would take time and there have always been doubts as to whether he will get itHow bad is too bad? What level of defeat forces a club to change its long-term plans? Is there even a long-term plan at Chelsea? Chelsea’s worst defeat in 28 years cannot but lead to serious questions and all precedent suggests those inquiries will end with the departure of the manager, Maurizio Sarri.There always seemed something a little uncomfortable in Chelsea’s appointment of Sarri. This, after all, is an impatient club that has thrived on chaos in recent years. Sarri is the 11th permanent or semi-permanent manager Chelsea have had in the 11 years since the end of...