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Maurizio Sarri's reign at Chelsea has bordered on parody – Europa League glory won't save him


Surely if he was that fussed about practising set-pieces in private Maurizio Sarri would have worked on them at Cobham in London.

But then nothing about Chelsea during the Roman Abramovich era has ever really made sense.

It is the reason why the Europa League is rapidly turning into the consolation prize for the Blues bosses that the fans tend not to take to.

Rafa Benitez was shown the door after lifting it in 2013, having failed to win over Chelsea fans unable to forget his association with Liverpool, and the acrimonious rivalry formed with then chief Jose Mourinho.

Never mind the fact that the Spaniard had salvaged success from the wreckage of Roberto di Matteo’s nightmare start to the campaign. Never mind the fact that Benitez restored order where there had been chaos under the Italian.

Maurizio Sarri walks off the pitch during training

 

Now the door is ajar for Sarri with many Chelsea fans underwhelmed by his demeanour, his style of play and his constant criticisms of the players that had lifted silverware before his arrival.

Frank Lampard, the favourite son of Stamford Bridge, is the man tipped to take over with supporters encouraged by his initial impact at Derby – despite their Championship play-off final failure – and his connection with that club’s fans.

Juventus will probably move quickly to dry Sarri’s tears with a £1.2million increase on his £5million-a-year Chelsea salary.

Yet the indication from the 60-year-old in his press conference on Tuesday evening at the Olympic Stadium was that he was happier at being able to get his message through to his players. More optimistic about his relationship with them. Not completely writing off his chances of extending his stay beyond this season.

The Italian lost his temper during the session

 

Less than two hours later those words were being overwritten by the scenes veering close to parody during Chelsea’s open training session.

All of it appeared a massive over-reaction to a silly bit of nonsense.

Gonzalo Higuain was a bit too tasty with a challenge on David Luiz. Luiz wouldn’t accept his apology. Fair enough. Neither the challenge nor the scenes that followed were anything to write home about.

Then Sarri blew a gasket at the continued presence of the media – even though he was well aware that they had every right to be there. Every manager knows that on the night before a European game you go through the motions with your players to give the media the pictures you’re not particularly bothered about them seeing. It is, however, the media’s right to be there.

Sarri is preparing his Chelsea side for the Europa League final

 

So for Sarri to storm off, take off his cap, kick it, pick it up and kick it again before heading down the tunnel was odd to say the least.

And that’s just it with the Italian. His predecessors were charismatic, or winners, or both. Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti plundered trophies. Antonio Conte clinched the title in his first season. Sarri is not yet in their league.

The fans have already delivered their very public verdict on his style of play, chanting: ‘F*** Sarriball’ during a number of games during the second half of the season.

Victory here In Baku – after fortuitously finishing in the Champions League places – would at least give him something to put on his cv to justify the hype around him.

The former Napoli boss faces an uncertain future in west London

 

It might not, however, be enough.

You know the way that Chelsea do things by now. They’ll have looked at the bond between Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool stars, Mauricio Pochettino with his Spurs players and Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City family and realised that Sarri just does not have that kind of connection with his Chelsea players.

Sarri maintained on Tuesday night that he will address his future with director Marina Granovskaia – once the Europa League is over.

It is likely to be a meeting to finalise the terms of his departure.

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