3 reasons why Chelsea must sack Maurizio Sarri

When Maurizio Sarri was appointed as head coach of Chelsea in the summer, there was a great deal of hope and optimism around the club. Of course, there were certain sectors of the fan base that thought Antonio Conte was let go prematurely, but Sarri's arrival marked a new era at Stamford Bridge, so everyone was eager to see what he could bring to the club.

To add to the excitement was the signing of Jorginho for around £50m on the same day. Jorginho played a pivotal role in Sarri's Napoli side and was viewed by many as the main reason for their success. There was great chemistry between the pair in Italy, and so the Chelsea board were hoping that this could be replicated in England.

However, things have gone from bad to worse for Sarri this season, and I don't think that anybody expects him to last for another. With that in mind, here are three reasons why Chelsea should sack Maurizio Sarri.

#3 Sarri has never won a major trophy

Given that Maurizio Sarri has managed a total of 13 teams and never once won a major trophy, you have to question the Chelsea board's decision to appoint him to replace someone with the pedigree of Antonio Conte.

The best that can be said for Sarri is that he won a 'Serie A Manager of the Year' award in the 2015-16 campaign with Napoli after they finished second with 82 points - nine points behind the winners, Juventus.

Whilst he did remain consistent with Napoli by finishing third the following season after having racked up an impressive 86 points, it still wasn't enough to secure the title.

For years now, fans and critics alike have generally agreed that it's unfair to compare the achievements of a team in one division to a team in another, and there's a good reason for that. On paper, Napoli's high positions in the league table look quite impressive and reflect well on the manager, but when you look at the calibre of teams they're facing in that division, the prestige of their success begins to weaken considerably.

Teams like Crotone, Verona, SPAL and Benevento are the equivalent to League One teams here in England; so Napoli facing them in a match would be like Manchester City against the likes of Luton Town - it's a walk in the park. And it's because of this fact that Serie A performances shouldn't be a primary factor in why a manager gets a job in England, as it doesn't work out - clearly.

#2 'Sarriball' is one dimensional and has already been nullified

One of the main things that made football fans so eager to see how Sarri would fare in the Premier League is his philosophy of football, known as 'Sarriball'.

Sarriball is essentially attacking football combined with a high press. It's a fast-paced, possession-based style of football, much like the style of play that Pep Guardiola made famous during his reign at Barcelona. Fundamentally, it's the short, quick passes designed to move play as far up the pitch as fast as possible that makes this philosophy such a threat to the opposition.

But whilst this style of play may have worked wonders in Serie A, it hasn't had nearly half as much success in the Premier League. Teams have inevitably been drilled on how to defend Sarriball and so once one team manages to stop it, another team will replicate that defensive formation and do the same. And with Sarri's refusal to alter his tactics in any way, Chelsea continue to get dismantled by teams that they really should be beating.

Another major factor behind why Sarriball doesn't work at Stamford Bridge is the fact that Sarri plays his stars out of position. You have Kante operating as an attacking midfielder when his favoured and most compatible role is as a defensive midfielder, and Eden Hazard has been pushed from the left wing to a centre-forward.

To make matters worse, his insistence on playing Jorginho in virtually every match has visibly left the team vulnerable at the back, with the general consensus being that the Italian can't plug the gaps and stop oncoming players. Ross Barkley recently featured in this role against Malmo and showcased exactly what Chelsea had been missing, but Sarri appears to have overlooked this fact and continues to play the out-of-form midfielder.

The innumerable flaws in Sarri's managerial decisions have been highlighted by losses to Bournemouth (4-0), Manchester City (6-0), and Manchester United (2-0). It's clear that if he doesn't change something, Chelsea will continue to slip down the table.

Not only are the board frustrated with Sarri's tactics, but so are the fans: during Chelsea's match against Manchester United, a chorus of boos rang out, followed by chants of "F*ck Sarriball" and "You don't know what you're doing". The fans no longer have faith in their manager, and this is usually the beginning of the end for whoever's in charge...

#1 His torrent of abuse towards the players has ruptured the chemistry

Eden Hazard (L) and Emerson (R) look defeated during the 6-0 hammering by Man City

It's no secret that the players at Chelsea are egotistical and petulant, but with the ability that each of them possesses, it's vital that the manager keeps their chin up and ensures that they don't develop a sour attitude, or things could quickly unravel out on the pitch.

So what does Maurizio Sarri do? He finds any opportunity in press conferences to slate his players and point out their flaws. Sarri has said many things, but perhaps worst of all was his decision to say that Eden Hazard isn't a leader. Given that Hazard is the star player at Chelsea, is it really wise of Sarri to put him down like that?

The Belgium international has been linked with a move to Real Madrid, which could possibly go through in the summer, so wouldn't a manager want to praise and flatter their best player in order to get them to potentially stick around?

That's certainly not what Sarri has done here; if anything, he's ushering him out of the door.

Antonio Rudiger recently revealed that "no player on Earth" would be happy playing under Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea right now, which is a damning illustration of just how unsettled the dressing room is at Stamford Bridge at the moment.

The bottom line here is that Sarri can put in as much effort as he likes off the pitch, but ultimately, it's the players on the pitch that decide his future. And if he continues to humiliate them in press conferences, his tenure at Chelsea is bound to come to a swift end.