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FBL-ENG-PR-CHELSEA-SARRI
Sarri’s stubbornness threatens Chelsea’s top-four hopes
LONDON, March 18, 2019 (AFP) – 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.
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.
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 œ35 million ($46 million) bid from Bayern Munich in
January.
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.
BSS/AFP/BZC/1940HRS