Chelsea analysis: Maurizio Sarri wins the game but loses the fans in Cardiff

PA
Simon Johnson31 March 2019

Chelsea fans turned up the heat on Maurizio Sarri despite the Blues' 2-1 Premier League comeback win over Cardiff City.

The travelling Chelsea fans were furious with their coach at various stages of Sunday's clash in Cardiff, with supporters calling for Sarri to be sacked as his side looked to be heading for a costly defeat having dropped Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante.

Victor Camarasa volleyed Cardiff in front after half-time, but Chelseaa equalised in the 84th minute when Cesar Azpilicueta headed home from close range, despite being two yards offside.

The Blues - who could have had Antonio Rudiger sent off soon after Azpilicueta's goal - then completed the turnaround in added time when substitute Ruben Loftus-Cheek popped up to plant a powerful header into the bottom corner and seal a dramatic 2-1 win.

Chelsea win the game but Sarri has lost the fans

The board have considered getting rid of Sarri this season, but now the fans have sent a message loud and clear they want him gone now.

Those that made the trip to Cardiff let their feelings be heard perfectly clear after another abject showing for the majority of this contest.

For the first time this term, loud shouts of ‘we want Sarri out’ emerged from those following the Blues.

There have been many signs of unrest before now, including a song of ‘F*ck Sarri-ball’ during their FA Cup defeat to Manchester United (and it was repeated here too), but this was a whole new level of vitriol.

The last substitution, which saw Gonzalo Higuain replaced by Olivier Giroud, provoked cries of ‘you don’t know what you’re doing. The Cardiff fans then added to the humiliation by shouting ‘we want Sarri in’.

It took a very controversial equaliser to turn things around and the shellshocked Cardiff players didn’t regain their composure. Substitute Ruben Loftus-Cheek took advantage to score a dramatic late winner.

Still, Sarri needs a lot more wins for the rest of the season to have a hope of repairing his relationship with these supporters.

What does Sarri say at half-time?

REUTERS

One of the most important periods for a coach is when he gets 15 minutes to talk to his players during the interval.

It not only gives the manager a chance to address any issues tactically, but also issue encouragement or a rollocking depending on what he sees fit to rally individuals for the second half.

Well Sarri clearly had little impact a fortnight ago at Everton when Chelsea conceded within a few minutes of the restart.

At least Chelsea could be slightly forgiven for being caught unawares as they had dominated so much in the opening 45 minutes, Everton’s resolve would have caught them off guard.

But the visitors had no such excuse here. They’d been poor from the outset and Sarri should have had them fired up to respond.

However, they got off to the same sloppy opening to the second half as they did at Goodison Park. Luckily for him, the players somehow scraped an unlikely victory.

Sarri clearly isn’t afraid to ruffle feathers

AFP/Getty Images

No-one can question the Italian’s bottle as he once again picked a team that didn’t appeal to the masses.

Despite Callum Hudson-Odoi starring for England last week, the teenager was kept waiting for his first Premier League start as he was named on the bench.

Given the way Sarri talked rather cautiously about the winger’s progress in his pre-match press conference, perhaps that decision wasn’t a great surprise.

What was more shocking was the sight of Chelsea’s two best players - Eden Hazard and N’Golo Kante – named as substitutes alongside him.

Granted they had been away on international duty, but it still felt like quite a gamble to make. Chelsea are at home to Brighton in three days’ time too, yet surely they’d be needed for a testing away counter from the outset first?

The visitor’s sluggish first half display certainly brought Sarri’s tactics under more scrutiny, with little being created.

Those in the away end clearly felt Sarri had got it wrong as they were chanting for Hazard and Hudson-Odoi inside half an hour.

Hazard did come on after Cardiff had gone ahead, when the home side had all the momentum on their side.

It took fortune rather than Sarri’s acumen to make this trip a successful one.

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