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After a promising start to life in London, Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea reign has quickly turned sour. Despite spending much of the season in the Premier League's top three, Chelsea currently sit outside of the Champions League qualification places, and Sarri's men have also been unconvincing during their Europa League run.
Sarri's relationship with the Chelsea roster has been questioned all season long, and Sarri's relationship with his players seemingly reached a breaking point during the teams League Cup defeat to Manchester City. It is also worth noting that the current crop of Chelsea stars consists of much of the same personnel that forced Jose Mourinho out of the club three years ago, and Sarri looks destined for a similar fate.
Nevertheless, few managers will want to take over a Chelsea team in disarray, and Sarri may stay until at least the summer of 2019. Despite this, there are deep problems in the Chelsea locker room, and here we will look at three players that have a less than ideal relationship with their manager.
#3 Marcos Alonso
Upon being appointed as Chelsea manager last summer, Sarri declared Marcos Alonso as the best fullback in Europe. The Spanish International started the 18/19 campaign in his usual form, scoring during Chelsea's early-season win over Arsenal, however, the 28-year-old has now failed to find the net for nearly 5 months. A poor run of form has also resulted in the ex-Sunderland player losing his spot in the Chelsea starting lineup for the first team since arriving in 2016, and Alonso has questioned Sarri's playing style.
During Sunday's defeat to Manchester City, Alonso was completely left out of Sarri's squad, and a recall to the starting lineup looks unlikely. Ultimately, all signs point to a bust-up, and Alonso may spend the rest of the season on the sidelines.
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#2 Cesar Azpilicueta
Since moving to Chelsea during the summer of 2012, Cesar Azpilicueta has slowly transformed into his teams most consistent defender. The Spaniard has been a rock at the back for Chelsea, and Azpilicueta has also served as Sarri's captain for much of the 18/19 season. Despite this, the Spanish International reportedly had a training ground bust-up with his manager following Chelsea's 2-0 defeat to Arsenal back in January.
Over the last four season, Azpilicueta has missed just two Premier League games, and with him still being just 29, Azpilicueta has the potential to be a regular starter in London for the next five years. While Sarri and Azpilicueta evidently have disagreements about the direction of the team, the Chelsea vice-captain has publicly stated that he and Sarri have managed to put their differences aside, and going forward, Azpilicueta is likely to remain as one of Sarri's most important players.
#1 Kepa Arrizabalaga
The 2019 League Cup Final was an incredibly dull affair, although the closing few moments provided an incident that will be talked about for years to come. With the game destined for a penalty shootout, Sarri wanted to replace Kepa Arrizabalaga with notorious penalty stopper Willy Caballero, however, Kepa refused to leave the pitch, and after a passionate outburst, Sarri eventually abandoned his substitution plans.
It is hard to see how Kepa and Sarri will mend their relationship after the Spanish International showed such a blatant act of disrespect to his manager, although Sarri may be overruled by Chelsea executives.
After all, Kepa joined Chelsea for a club record £71 million, and after a series of poor performances, the 24-year-old's transfer value has only fallen. Ultimately, Sarri and Kepa may be forced to work together until the end of the season, although at least one of the pair is likely to exit London during the offseason.
