Stubborn Sarri Threatening Chelsea's EPL Top Four Hopes
18th March 2019
Languishing in sixth, the Blues trail fourth-placed Arsenal by just three points but face a much tougher run-in than the Gunners in the remaining eight games of the Premier League season
- Chelsea's latest Premier League away-day collapse at Everton leaves Maurizio Sarri's side facing an uphill task to finish in the top four and secure much-needed Champions League qualification
- A run of four defeats in their past five league games away from Stamford Bridge also gives little reason for hope ahead of upcoming visits to title-chasing Liverpool and Manchester United, who also lead Chelsea by a point in fifth
- But to emerge victorious in Baku on May 29 or stand a chance of a top-four revival, Sarri must iron out a number of repeated failings from his first season in charge
LONDON, United
Kingdom- Chelsea's latest Premier League away-day collapse at Everton
leaves Maurizio Sarri's side facing an uphill task to finish in the top four
and secure much-needed Champions League qualification.
Languishing in sixth, the Blues trail fourth-placed Arsenal
by just three points but face a much tougher run-in than the Gunners in the
remaining eight games of the Premier League season.
A run of four defeats in their past five league games away
from Stamford Bridge also gives little reason for hope ahead of upcoming visits
to title-chasing Liverpool and Manchester United, who also lead Chelsea by a
point in fifth.
A kind Europa League draw, with Slavia Prague to come in the
quarter-finals before a potential last-four clash with Eintracht Frankfurt or
Benfica, may now provide the easiest route to next season's Champions League,
with a place in the group stage on offer for the winners of that competition.
But to emerge victorious in Baku on May 29 or stand a chance
of a top-four revival, Sarri must iron out a number of repeated failings from
his first season in charge.
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Higuain fails to fire
Sarri was given the striker he desired in January with the
arrival of Gonzalo Higuain.
However, the Argentine has scored just three times in 10
appearances, against lowly opposition in Huddersfield and Fulham, with even
Sarri admitting Higuain has to do more.
"He needs to improve his physical condition and mental
condition," said Sarri after defeat at Goodison Park.
But the pressure is on for him to finally relent and hand
Olivier Giroud league starts.
The French World Cup winner is the Europa League's top
scorer with nine goals, but has made just six Premier League starts all season
with Eden Hazard, the departed Alvaro Morata and Higuain all handed more time
as the focal point to Chelsea's attack.
Lack of midfield punch
Chelsea's striker struggles have been exacerbated by a lack
of goals and creativity from midfield.
Sarri's side have now failed to score in eight of 30 Premier
League games.
One of Sarri's most analysed moves has been to deploy N'Golo
Kante in a more advanced role to make room for Jorginho -- who followed Sarri
from Napoli to west London last summer -- at the base of the midfield.
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No player in the Premier League has made more passes than
the Italian international's 2,554 this season, yet not a single one has
provided an assist.
Kante has three league goals but often fails to provide the
finish in his unfamiliar role despite getting into good positions and on-loan
Real Madrid midfield Mateo Kovacic has yet to score for the club.
Even Ross Barkley, who started the season brightly, has not
scored a league goal since October.
Youngsters not trusted
Given that lack of goals, one of the growing frustrations
for the Chelsea faithful is Sarri's resistance to handing the home-grown talent
of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi more Premier League minutes.
A loan spell at Crystal Palace last season gave Loftus-Cheek
the playing time he needed to break into England's World Cup squad but he has
started just once in the league all season despite being Chelsea's top-scoring
central midfielder with six goals in all competitions.
The same goes for 18-year-old Callum Hudson-Odoi, for whom
Chelsea rejected a reported £35 million ($46 million) bid from Bayern Munich in
January.
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Hudson-Odoi has scored four times in eight Europa League
appearances but has yet to start a Premier League game, with the more
experienced Pedro Rodriguez and Willian trusted by Sarri.
A lack of game time is one of the reasons Hudson-Odoi was
keen to leave in January and has so far refused to extend his contract beyond
2020. Sarri's current stance has done little to change his mind.