Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe shit
It’s a Gennaro Gattuso quote, but it neatly summarises Chelsea’s form this season. Maurizio Sarri’s appointment has Chelsea fans hopeful of scintillating counter-attacks, quick passing moves in tight spaces and clinical finishing. But it’s not all been sunshine and rainbows under the Italian, who has encountered more obstacles in the Premier League than he – indeed most people – imagined.
Chelsea’s humiliation at the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday night, when Bournemouth cut through them like a hot knife through cheap margarine, was cause for crisis talks.
Sarri kept his players in the changing rooms for almost an hour after the defeat, as he let them know exactly where they had gone wrong, presumably in Italian, while puffing on three cigarettes simultaneously.
Eddie Howe’s deployment of David Brooks to man mark Jorginho at the base of Chelsea’s midfield stifled the away side’s build up play, and with no plan B they found no solution.
Sarri is reported to have unleashed a barrage of criticism at his entire team after the match, telling them they have not even picked up the basics of ‘Sarriball’. Brutal.
He is said to have pointed the finger at star player, among others, for not following instructions.
Asked about Hazard during Friday’s press conference, Sarri said: “I think that he is changing. He was used to playing as an individual player, but now he has to play in a cooperative way.
“It is not easy for him as he became Hazard in another way.
“It is not easy but I can see now he is more available to play in this way. He is fantastic from the technical view and I think he can do more tactically.
“It is not easy to play in a striker with this team, we have a lot of individual players, like Hazard, Pedro, Willian, so it is not easy for the striker to make the right movement at the right time.”
The Italian coach also apologised to Chelsea fans for his team’s performance at Bournemouth.
“First of all we have to say sorry for that, because the result was a disaster,” he admitted.
“I can understand them very well. They have to be patient with us as we are trying to do something great. We have to be patient, we will lose matches, but we are trying to do our best.”
Chelsea welcome strugglers Huddersfield to Stamford Bridge this weekend, which should allow them to get the confidence boosting win they so desperately need.
